The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday handed over the 753 units of houses linked to a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor to the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.

Following intelligence, the commission uncovered the housing units on Plot 109 Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Abuja.

The property, measuring 150,500 square metres and containing 753 units of duplexes and other apartments, was recovered based on a final forfeiture order granted by Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja on December 2, last year.

Handing over the property, EFCC Executive Chairman Ola Olukoyede reiterated the commitment of the commission to accountable asset recovery and disposal modalities.

He said such gestures are meant to “demonstrate to Nigerians that whatever proceeds of crime that we have recovered in the course of our work, the application of that will be made transparent to Nigerians so that we will not allow looted assets to be looted again”.

A statement by the commission’s Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Dele Oyewale, quoted Olukoyede as saying: “It is important for us to emphasise to Nigerians that the fight against corruption can work and we can really make it work. One of the key factors that actually propel the impact of the fight is the need for us to ensure that those who have stolen our commonwealth are not allowed to enjoy the proceeds of crime.

“So, one of the critical factors of our works is that we deprive them of the proceeds of crimes.”

The EFCC chairman lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s stance on the fight against corruption.

He said the handover of the property signaled the government’s seriousness in the fight against economic and financial crimes and other acts of corruption.

The handover took place at a brief ceremony at the ministry’s headquarters in Mabushi, Abuja.

The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, praised the EFCC for its sustained commitment to asset recovery and anti-corruption.

He said the handover was a “significant milestone in our collective efforts and determination to ensure that recovered assets are put to productive use in ways that directly benefits the Nigerian people”.

President at Pope’s inauguration mass •Leo XIV pledges peace in the world
Nigeria’s diversity should be harnessed to create prosperity for the people, the President said yesterday in Rome, Italy.

He spoke during a meeting with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference on the sidelines of the inauguration mass for Pope Leo XIV at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was among the 30 heads of state/government who witnessed the official coming into office of Pope Leo XIV, who was voted as the 267th Pontiff by the cardinals on May 8.

According to his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, the President said: “If we use our diversity not for adversity but for prosperity, the country’s hope is stability and progress.”

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria President Archbishop Lucius Ugorji expressed appreciation to the President for facilitating their visit to Rome for the burial of the late Pope Francis and the installation of his successor.

Ugorji, who is the Archbishop of Owerri, said: “You are always there for us. Now that you have come to the Vatican, whenever we have our conference in Nigeria, we will also invite you, and we look forward to interfacing with you just as you were able to do with the Holy Father.”

Other clerics at the meeting include Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja, Archbishop Alfred Martins of Lagos, and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto Diocese.

At another meeting with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the President reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to promoting interfaith dialogue, tolerance and cooperation in a world increasingly challenged by religious and ideological polarisation.

“Our dialogue was marked by a spirit of fraternity and a shared vision for the future. We discussed common values such as peace, mutual respect, and global solidarity,” President Tinubu wrote about the meeting on his verified X handle, @officialABAT.

He used the opportunity to convey Nigeria’s appreciation for the Vatican’s longstanding goodwill and its spiritual engagement with the Nigerian people, many of whom are adherents of the Catholic faith.

“I expressed Nigeria’s deep appreciation for the Vatican’s longstanding goodwill and reaffirmed our commitment to promoting interfaith dialogue, tolerance and cooperation in an increasingly polarised world,” the President stated.

The interaction with Cardinal Parolin underscores the strategic importance Nigeria places on faith-based diplomacy, especially at a time when global events have accentuated divisions along religious and ethnic lines.

“As always, Nigeria remains a nation open to friendship, grounded in faith, and committed to building bridges of understanding across the world,” President Tinubu added.

The President’s visit to the Vatican comes at a time when Nigeria continues to play a prominent role in peacekeeping and religious reconciliation efforts across Africa.

His participation in the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV is seen as a reaffirmation of Nigeria’s engagement with the global faith community.

President Tinubu attended the Mass decked in a pair of suits with a tie to match.

He led a delegation including Minister of State Foreign Affairs Mrs Bianca Odumegu-Ojukwu, Senior Special Assistant Foreign Affairs Ademola Oshodi, Onanuga, Archbishops Ugorji, Kaigama and Bishop Kukah.

The President told reporters after the mass that: “It’s consistent in the true sense of unity in diversity, and I’m greatly honoured.

“We have to continue to work on it. It’s a work in progress for the sake of our country and the continent as a whole”.

What Tinubu’s invitation means?

Also providing perspectives to President Tinubu’s participation at the event at the Vatican were Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Onanuga and Oshodi.

Mrs Odumegwu-Ojukwu described the President’s participation as a gesture rich with symbolism and diplomatic value.

“I think it’s very symbolic and indicative of the great solidarity that he continues to show, not just to the Muslim community, but to the entire Christian community.

“He has shown this solidarity with the millions of people who are of the Catholic faith in Nigeria by attending this Mass, being himself a Muslim,” she said.

She emphasised that the gesture not only speaks to President Tinubu’s domestic vision but also aligns with global aspirations for peace, especially those championed by the new Pontiff.

“This has also shown his commitment to the advancement of peace, not just in the African region, but globally, because this particular Pope is committed to the restoration of peace in Ukraine and Gaza.

“These are aspirations also shared by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” she said.

Mrs. Odumegwu-Ojukwu also highlighted the personal connection that influenced the invitation.

“The Secretary of State of the Vatican, Cardinal Parolin, actually extended this invitation to President Bola Tinubu on behalf of the Pope, of the Augustinian Order, who had spent quite a great deal of time in Nigeria.

“So he has a personal connection and affiliation to Nigeria, and it was quite important to the new Pontiff that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a country he has a great deal of fondness for, share this very special installation event with him,” she explained.

Onanuga stressed the President’s inclusive approach to governance, noting that President Tinubu’s actions consistently reflect a commitment to religious harmony.

“For me, what the President has shown is that he’s a man who is tolerant of all religions and who believes in interfaith harmony. He’s even demonstrated it by the kind of appointments he made.

“I read somewhere that 62 per cent of his cabinet members are Christians. That shows the kind of man he is,” Onanuga said.

Oshodi echoed similar sentiments, arguing that President Tinubu’s participation challenges outdated global perceptions about Nigeria’s religious landscape.

“It changes the misconception that Nigeria is not a free, fair place to worship for multiple religious faiths.

“It shows that a Muslim President can be accepted and is liberal enough to carry the whole country along,” Oshodi said.

According to him, the Vatican’s invitation to President Tinubu affirms Nigeria’s growing reputation as a country where religious freedom is upheld by leadership.

He said: “It changes the perception that Nigeria has this everlasting sectarian conflict between Christians and Muslims.”

“It shows that the Vatican, the papal authority, can see it fit to invite the President to represent the great country of Nigeria and show that freedom of religion is prevalent and recognised by the leadership of Nigeria.”

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The Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Bashir Ibrahim, a former Kaduna State Government contractor and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Formal Act Legacy Limited.

Ibrahim was arrested for alleged multiple fraud to the tune of N30 billion.

Although his contract with the state government had been terminated, no fewer than 251 complaints received by the Commission against the suspect alleged that he was parading himself to unsuspecting victims as a consultant for the 23 local government areas in Kaduna State as well as the United Charity Foundation (UCF) with affiliation to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Office.

The anti-graft agency, in a statement by its spokesman, Dele Oyewale, said it was also alleged that the suspect informed his victims that he had a 2020 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kaduna State Government to source intervention grants from global donor agencies for the funding of LGA projects in the state and for supporting the actualization of SDGs within the state.

According to the statement, “while investigations revealed that the suspect is not a consultant to UCF, his 2020 MoU with Kaduna State government was terminated by the state government in October 2023 as a result of default on the terms of the MoU by the suspect.

“However, despite the termination of the MoU, the suspect intentionally engaged in unauthorised award of fictitious contracts to the tune of approximately N30 billion by convincing his contractor victims to supply items meant for construction of hospitals, motorised boreholes, hospital beds and mattresses, drugs and vaccines, which he allegedly received on behalf of the Kaduna State Government, sold some and diverted their proceeds to his personal use.

“From investigations, it was further discovered that when he took delivery of the supplies, he would warehouse them, keep the LGAs in the dark about their delivery and furthermore, failed to pay he contractors the value of what they supplied.

“It is also alleged that the suspect was selling contract award papers, using proxies with whom he shared the proceeds.

“These fraudulent acts coupled with his unilateral alteration of the nature of the contracts and their terms, allegedly led to the termination of the MoU he had with the state government in 2023.

“Items recovered from him include Toyota Hilux Pick-Up vans, ambulances, buses, dispatch motorcycles, caches of drugs and vaccines for children, stacks of hospital beds and mattresses and heavy duty generators.

“Found in his office store are large quantities of tablets, capsules, syrups, infusions, ointments/creams; medical consumables that include hand gloves, syringes, and mucus extractor.

“The Commission is collaborating with NAFDAC and the Kaduna State Ministry of Health in the evaluation of the cache of medicines found in his storage facilities as well as in carrying out qualitative analysis on them.

“Following the inspections, Umar Ahmad Suleiman, Investigation and Enforcement Officer, Federal Tax Force, NAFDAC said some of the drug manufacturers registered with NAFDAC and that while some of the medicines are still within shelf life, some have expired with some being outright counterfeits and their manufacturers unregistered with NAFDAC.

“Corroborating the position of the NAFDAC official, Abubakar Isa Balarabe, a pharmacist and Team Leader, Ministry of Health Kaduna State observed that some of the medicines have expired, noting also that the warehouse where the medicines were stored fell below standard. “The storage is not fit for any medicine because of the way and manner it was kept.”

The Commission said the suspect would be charged to court as soon as investigation was concluded.