EFCC Boss Storm Dubai to Recover over $200bn stashed away by Nigerians

\The Federal Government is out to recover the over $200billion stashed in the in the United Arab Emirates by some former governors, ex-ministers and other public officers.

The Nation reports that those under the radar -for stashing funds and acquiring properties in the UAE- are seven former governors, six former ministers, an ex-presidential aide who’s on the run, ex-military chiefs under probe, agents and fronts of the listed public officers and five chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party.

A federal government team -Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC), Ibrahim Magu and other detectives from the anti-graft agency, on Monday, began collating intelligence notes on the Politically Exposed Persons and their UAE counterparts.

A source in the government was quoted to have said: “Yes, the AGF and the EFCC chairman with some top officials of the anti-graft agency are in Dubai for a follow-up technical session on the Mutual Legal Assistance between Nigeria and the UAE. I can confirm the official trip and it is meant to recover looted funds.”

The EFCC officials were said to have arrived in Dubai on Saturday while the Minister was said to have left Abuja yesterday, to join the team.

A source privy to the developments regarding the repatriation of the funds, was quoted to have said: “The Federal Government team has met with those from the UAE on intelligence sharing, the list of those on EFCC radar, the number of highly-placed Nigerians with fat accounts in UAE and those with choice properties in Marina (Dubai), Bur Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha.”

“Some of the former governors include one from the South-South, two from North central, two from the Northeast, one from the Northwest, and one from the Southwest. A former-governor had made botched attempts to transfer about $517 million loot to Dominican Republic because UAE law is now strict.”

“More than six ex-ministers and a former presidential aide, who is on the run over the $2.1 billion arms deals, were said to have acquired choice mansions and malls in UAE. One of the former ministers, who was alleged to own two houses in Dubai, was said to have served as a front for a former First Lady.”

“Another ex-minister had bought some malls through a few cronies in Dubai. The list of such agents is being screened. Certainly, the anti-graft agency has tightened the noose on these former public officers and there is no hiding place for them.”

“The success of the collaboration between the Federal Government team and the UAE Government will determine when EFCC will release the concessions on some of these PEPs. Very soon, we will unveil these ex-political office holders.”

The government delegation, the report further states, has discovered that many highly-placed Nigerians have fled from Dubai to Singapore, Casablanca in Morocco, Dominican Republic and some islands in the UK and in the Caribbean.