EFCC honours SERAP petition, begins probe of missing N500m Chibok fund
- SERAP says the EFCC has confirmed to it that the anti-corruption agency is investigating the missing N500million meant for the rebuilding of Chibok school
- SERAP's senior staff attorney Timothy Adewale confirmed the kick off of the EFCC probe on Monday, January 16, 2017
- The organisation says the disappearance of the money after Goodluck Jonathan lost the presidential election of 2015 is a clear indication of the ex-president's failures to honour commitments
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has confirmed that it is looking into the issue of missing N500 million Safe School funds which was meant to rebuild the Government Girls School in Chibok in Borno state after Boko Haram attack in April 2014.
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News Agency of Nigeria reports that the foundation for the school was laid some weeks to the presidential election in March 2015 by former finance minister Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala but was never completed because the administration was ousted from power.
But the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) filed a petition before the EFCC addressed to its acting chairman Ibrahim Magu alleging misappropriation of the funds for rebuilding the school totalling N500million.
SERAP revealed on Monday, January 16 that it had received confirmation from the EFCC that it is taking action on the petition the civil organisation filed at the anti-corruption agency on December 27, 2016.
“We have received confirmation from the EFCC that the body is looking into our petition. The EFCC has also expressed its determination to diligently investigate the allegation of the missing N500 million Safe School funds for Chibok girls, and sought additional information from SERAP,” SERAP senior staff attorney Timothy Adewale said.
SERAP had urged the EFCC to “invite for questioning, and name and shame anyone suspected to be involved in the alleged diversion, including the contractors allegedly handling the project.”
“The allegation that N500m has been lost to corruption has resulted in denying the girls access to education, and shows the failure of the former President Goodluck Jonathan government to live up to Nigeria’s commitments under the global Safe School Declaration.
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“SERAP believes that the diversion of the funds will expose the school to attacks in the future. This is a fundamental breach of the country’s obligations including guarantees of non-repetition, which contribute to prevention and deterrence of future attacks.
“SERAP urges the EFCC to work with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to set up a mechanism to monitor government’s spending of the safe school funds in order to ensure that the funds are spent exactly to prevent and deter future attacks, and to allow the girls to go back to school as soon as possible.”
Meanwhile, Bring Back Our Girls campaigner, Oby Ezekwesili has taken a trip to Chibok after taking up a challenge thrown at her and her group by the Nigerian government to find out for themselves about how the rescue work for the girl is being done and what is being done to care for their parents.
Source: Legit.ng
