⬆️Some of the beneficiaries.
The Gombe Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has handed over a bank draft valued at ₦1,054,919,532.61 to 659 Batch D1 disengaged staff of the Adamawa State Post-Primary Schools Management Board.
The funds, recovered in the course of an investigation, were presented at a brief handover ceremony.
Acting Zonal Director of the Directorate, Assistant Commander of the EFCC ACE I Austine Adache, reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to accountability, justice and the restitution of recovered funds to their rightful beneficiaries.
He emphasised that the EFCC remains dedicated to ensuring victims of financial misconduct receive appropriate redress in accordance with the law.
Counsel to the beneficiaries, Luka Musa Haruna, SAN, who received the bank draft on their behalf, expressed profound appreciation to the Commission for its painstaking investigation and commitment to securing the recovery. He said he had consistently maintained confidence in the EFCC’s capacity to combat economic and financial crimes in Nigeria.
Abraham B. Song, the petitioner whose complaint initiated the investigation, also commended the Commission for its prompt intervention. He noted that the recovered funds would significantly alleviate the financial losses and hardship suffered by the affected staff.
The recovery followed a petition submitted to the EFCC in 2024 by Song. He alleged that the beneficiaries were employed by the Adamawa State Government in 2012 and served for 29 months in various secondary schools across the state. Their appointments were later declared illegal by the state government in 2014, prompting the affected staff to institute proceedings before the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Yola Judicial Division, sitting in Jos. The court ordered the Adamawa State Government to pay their outstanding entitlements.
Alleged failure to comply with the court’s order led to garnishee proceedings against the state government’s accounts. In the course of its investigation, the EFCC received intelligence indicating a potential risk of suspicious misapplication of the funds.
The Commission consequently took steps to preserve the funds pending the outcome of its investigation, ultimately facilitating their recovery and restitution to the beneficiaries.