Onilede Titi Faith
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has revealed that a majority of luxury homes in affluent Abuja neighborhoods such as Asokoro and Maitama are owned by career civil servants, not politicians. He made this remark during a recent interview and confirmed it via his official X handle.
Olukoyede noted that this revelation stems from detailed investigations conducted by EFCC, which uncovered that civil servants often directors and permanent secretaries were responsible for owning high-end properties that far exceed what their official earnings would reasonably allow.
He cited a particularly stark example: in investigating one federal ministry, EFCC traced a total of ₦33.7 billion stolen from the institution, with only ₦3 billion linked to the then-minister. The remaining ₦30.7 billion was tied to career civil servants highlighting that bureaucrats, rather than politicians, play central roles in siphoning public funds.
The EFCC chairman emphasized that while political appointments change, these “establishment people” remain entrenched in the system and often benefit the most from institutional corruption. He pointed out that many of the properties involved in real estate investments, often abandoned or left incomplete when illicit income stops, are primarily funded by stolen funds from civil servants.
In response to these findings, the EFCC has launched investigations into real estate investments, securing the interim forfeiture of 15 such estates suspected to be tied to stolen public funds. Olukoyede also announced the formation of a dedicated task force to visit housing estates nationwide including abandoned projects to trace ownership and enforce due legal processes.
He warned lawyers and real estate developers against abetting money laundering, reaffirming that no one is above scrutiny, regardless of their position in the civil service.
