The Journalists Against Corruption (JAC), a non-governmental advocacy group, has urged Western countries, including the United States, Spain, and Switzerland, to reciprocate the Nigerian government’s gesture following the restitution of funds to foreign victims of fraud by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Last week, the EFCC handed over a total of $132,362.43 (One Hundred and Thirty-Two Thousand, Three Hundred and Sixty-Two United States Dollars, Forty-Three Cents) and N78,566,324.81 (Seventy-Eight Million, Five Hundred and Sixty-Six Thousand, Three Hundred and Twenty-Four Naira, Eighty-One Kobo) to American, Spanish, and Swiss nationals who fell victim to fraudsters in Nigeria. The move was part of the EFCC’s commitment to combating economic and financial crimes and ensuring restitution for victims.
In a press statement issued on Sunday and signed by its Programme Coordinator, Kehinde Osifisan, JAC emphasized that foreign nations must reciprocate the EFCC’s gesture. The group also called for easier access for the Nigerian government to recover proceeds of corruption stashed abroad by Nigerians, particularly politically exposed persons.
“It is binding on these foreign countries not only to reciprocate the EFCC’s gesture but also to facilitate the repatriation of stolen funds held in their jurisdictions,” the statement read.
JAC described as “ridiculous, hypocritical, and unacceptable” the practice of foreign nations holding onto proceeds of corruption from Nigeria for years, and in some cases, decades, while imposing stringent conditions for the release of such funds.
“In fact, it is our firm demand that the stashed away funds by Nigerians in these foreign countries, which have been used to benefit their economies, should be returned to Nigeria with calculated interest, instead of dictating to a sovereign nation how it should spend its recovered wealth,” the group added.
While commending the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, and his team for their strides in the fight against corruption, JAC urged the Commission to remain steadfast despite campaigns of calumny by perpetrators of corruption and their local and international collaborators.
The group’s statement has sparked renewed discussions on the need for international cooperation in the fight against corruption and the repatriation of stolen assets to their countries of origin.
