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*As Commission Tracks Down Foreign Nationals Operating Illegal Refinery in South-West
Linus Aleke in Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has recovered over N1.233 trillion, alongside an unspecified quantity of international forex, the Commission’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, has mentioned.
He added that the Commission had additionally secured 10,872 convictions inside the identical interval.
Speaking at a joint press convention by spokespersons of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and different safety companies in Abuja, Oyewale mentioned the landmark recoveries lined a 34-month interval, from October 1, 2023, to July 31, 2026, beneath the management of Executive Chairman Ola Olukoyede.
He additionally confirmed the invention of an unlawful refinery in the South-West and the arrest of international nationals in reference to unlawful lithium processing crops.
He mentioned: “I can verify that we uncovered the ability. You will recall that on October 23, we arrested 14 Chinese nationals and a Nigerian alongside the identical axis for allegedly working unlawful lithium processing crops.
“The earlier arrests and subsequent investigations made it tough to right away apprehend the operators of the unlawful refinery, because the actions had been happening inside the identical operational space.
“We subsequently returned to the placement as a part of our expanded investigation to ascertain whether or not the unlawful actions had been nonetheless ongoing. However, after we arrived, no one was current on the facility.
“We discovered the refinery and its equipment, but no arrests were made during that operation. Our investigations are still ongoing.”
