Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has advocated for strengthening, rather than abolishing, Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to improve its effectiveness.
In an interview on Channels Television’s ‘Hard Copy’ program, Fintiri commented on the suit filed by 16 governors at the Supreme Court, challenging the EFCC’s legal framework.
He stated that while he has not yet decided to join the lawsuit, he would review it with his Attorney General before making a decision.
He said: “For me, it is not the right time to abolish the EFCC, whether it was established rightly or wrongly. We need to make it work better. We need to remove the politics that sometimes leads to claims of witch-hunting,” Fintiri said.
He also raised concerns about the federal government’s approach to handling recovered funds, particularly those seized in cases involving state funds.
He described the federal government’s practice of taking these recovered funds into its treasury as “a wrong practice” that interferes with state financial autonomy.
Fintiri said there is a need for the government to avoid overreach in monitoring how state and local governments manage their finances.
“I heard the Attorney General of Oyo State complaining after a court session that, even though funds are shared among the three tiers of government, federal, state, and local, the Federal Government often oversteps by questioning how states and local governments spend their money.
“Even when funds are appropriated, the Federal Government takes them into their treasury. I believe this practice should be discontinued,” he added.
Meanwhile, News About Nigeria reported that the EFCC has declared Bolaji Akinduro, Executive Chairman of Total Grace Oil and Gas Investment Limited, wanted for alleged fraud.
In a Saturday statement on its official X.com account, the anti-graft agency accused Akinduro of obtaining money under false pretences and stealing through conversion.
The EFCC has urged the public to provide information on his whereabouts, listing multiple offices and contact points for reporting any leads.
