“Only 15% of Diezani's loot has been recovered” - EFCC's chairman Magu reveals

The EFCC sent two of its officials to the UK to help the government in their prosecution of the former minister. 

The acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu on Thursday, September 7, said the commission has only recovered 15% of the funds allegedly looted by the former minister of petroleum resources Diezani Alison-Madueke.

Magu said the EFCC was currently working with the government of the United Kingdom on Alison-Madueke's case to ensure her extradition to Nigeria.

The EFCC chairman who spoke during a visit to Punch said the EFCC under his leadership would do all within its powers to ensure that all funds stolen from the coffers of the Nigerian government are recovered.

He said: “We are working on the process of Diezani’s extradition. But we have to allow them (the UK government) because we are collaborating.

There is the National Crime Agency and the Crown Prosecution Service in London, and our colleagues, the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in America. We had cause to meet in London. I was there myself for about a week," Magu said.

Magu also said the commission is not only concentrating on Alison-Madueke's case but on all other cases of corruption in Nigeria.

He said Alison-Madueke's case would only serve as a test case for high-profile corruption cases in Nigeria.

“It is even more notorious than the so-called Abacha loot because we have not seen anything yet. I’m sure what we have seen is not more than may be 15 per cent. I think it is going to be a long time.

That is why sometimes I think we should appeal to the looters to return the loot. Come and tell the government, ‘This is what I have stolen.’ Since you have voluntarily complied with the instruction to bring back the loot, then the government will take a decision. I think it is the best way to go about it, otherwise, the monies would be wasted," the EFCC chairman said.

The officials, gathered were in the UK with evidences against Alison-Madueke on fraud she allegedly committed during her tenure as the minister of petroleum resources.

The commission also said they had enough evidence to nail the former minister for committing oil fraud amounting to $1.7 billion.