EFCC Hands Over 1,452 Recovered Cybercrime Assets to Education Ministry

Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has transferred 1,452 items, seized during a major anti-cybercrime operation, to the Federal Ministry of Education. EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede presented the recovered assets, which include 501 double-step bunk beds and 939 mattresses, to Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa in Abuja. The operation, code-named 'Operation Eagle Flush,' also led to the arrest of 792 suspects, including 193 foreign nationals who have since been prosecuted and repatriated. Olukoyede stated that the handover aligns with the government's policy of using proceeds of crime to fund critical social sectors, emphasizing that children and youth are the primary victims of financial crimes. He noted that President Bola Tinubu fully supports investing recovered assets in education to secure the future of young people. This initiative follows a previous handover of a forfeited university facility, now operating as the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia. Olukoyede also mentioned that the Student Loan Fund, which provides tuition and stipends, has benefited from recovered assets, sourced under the Proceeds of Crime Act. He linked these interventions to crime prevention, explaining that financial pressures often drive students toward cybercrime. The EFCC chairman pledged continued collaboration with the ministry to ensure the proper utilization of the assets to enhance infrastructure in secondary and tertiary institutions.

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Children and youth remain the greatest victims of corruption and financial crimes and should therefore be the first to benefit from recoveries.