Joseph Bakare
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has successfully recovered nearly $500 million in proceeds of crime last year and secured more than 4,000 criminal convictions.
Besides cash, the EFCC said it also seized 931,052 metric tons of petroleum products, 975 real estate properties and company shares.
This is its highest since its inception more than two decades ago.
Nigeria has struggled for decades with endemic corruption, which many Nigerians say contributes to widespread poverty in the country, and ranked 140 out of 180 on Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perception Index.
The EFCC, which investigates and prosecutes corruption in Nigeria, said in a report on Monday that some of the recovered money was reinvested in government projects.