The House of Representatives’ Ad Hoc Committee on Assessment and Status of All Recovered Loots Movable and Immovable Assets from 2002 to 2020 by Agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria for Effective Efficient Management and Utilisation is in dilemma on how to resolve a brewing crisis between the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria.
On Tuesday, AMCON layed claims to some assets recovered from and forfeited by some allies of a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke. A prominent member of the committee told our correspondent that the EFCC had approached the committee to prevent AMCON from getting the assets, some of which were said to have been used as collateral to secure loans from various banks.
The lawmaker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said there was suspicion that AMCON’s move might be an avenue to retrieve the assets from the custody of the EFCC and the Federal Government by extension.
The source said, “EFCC is complaining that AMCON is moving to possess some of the assets already seized and forfeited by looters. AMCON is claiming that some of the assets were already in possession of banks before EFCC approached courts to secure permanent forfeiture of the same assets.
“The assets include those retrieved from the so-called Diezani boys such as Aluko and Omokore.“Indeed, some of the banks have the original documents to claim the assets but the issue now is how to determine how a financial agreement can supersede a court order on the same assets.”
Meanwhile, the committee grilled the National Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.), over funds belonging to the National Intelligence Agency and recovery accounts being run by ONSA.
Monguno, who was represented by the Director of Finance and Administration, Office of the National Security Adviser, Brig.-Gen. Ja’afaru Mohammed, however, denied that his office was involved in assets recovery and management.
