EFCC Recovers, Hands Over N1.05bn to 659 Disengaged Adamawa Teachers
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has handed over ₦1.05 billion recovered funds to 659 disengaged teachers of the Adamawa State Post-Primary Schools Management Board.
The recovered sum of ₦1,054,919,532.61 was presented through a bank draft by the Commission’s Gombe Zonal Directorate to the beneficiaries, who were disengaged under Batch D1.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, the Acting Zonal Director, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE I Austine Adache, reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to accountability, justice and the recovery of funds for rightful beneficiaries.
Adache stressed that the EFCC remained committed to ensuring that victims of financial misconduct received appropriate redress in accordance with the law.
Receiving the bank draft on behalf of the beneficiaries, their counsel, Luka Musa Haruna, SAN, expressed appreciation to the Commission for its painstaking investigation and successful recovery of the funds.
Haruna said he had consistently maintained confidence in the EFCC’s ability to combat economic and financial crimes in Nigeria.
Similarly, Abraham B. Song, the petitioner whose complaint triggered the investigation, commended the Commission for its intervention, noting that the recovered funds would help ease the financial hardship suffered by the affected teachers.
The recovery followed a petition submitted to the EFCC in 2024 by Song, who alleged that the affected teachers were employed by the Adamawa State Government in 2012 and served for 29 months in various secondary schools across the state.
According to the petitioner, their appointments were declared illegal by the state government in 2014, prompting the affected workers to approach the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Yola Judicial Division, sitting in Jos.
The court subsequently ordered the Adamawa State Government to pay their outstanding entitlements.
However, the alleged failure of the state government to comply with the court’s order led to garnishee proceedings against its accounts.
During its investigation, the EFCC reportedly received intelligence suggesting a possible suspicious diversion or misapplication of the funds. The Commission consequently took steps to preserve the money pending the conclusion of its investigation, leading to its recovery and eventual return to the beneficiaries.
The handover marks a significant development in the years-long struggle of the affected teachers to receive their outstanding entitlements and underscores the EFCC’s commitment to recovering proceeds of financial wrongdoing.
