ABUJA, NIGERIA — Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to immediately investigate and prosecute government officials allegedly responsible for the diversion of N33.75 billion meant for vulnerable Nigerians, describing the suspected scam as a direct assault on the poor and a betrayal of public trust.
The activist lawyer, in a statement issued over the weekend, demanded that the anti-graft agency interrogate all officials involved in the handling and approval of the cash transfers, irrespective of their political affiliation or current status. Falana argued that the scale of the alleged diversion demanded nothing less than a full-scale criminal investigation and the prosecution of anyone found to have participated in the scheme.
Falana said the missing funds were part of a federal government intervention designed to cushion the economic impact of recent reforms on the most vulnerable members of society. He argued that the failure to ensure that the funds reached their intended beneficiaries constituted a violation of the constitutional rights of millions of Nigerians to social security and protection from poverty.
The senior lawyer accused some government agencies and officials of deliberately circumventing established procedures to siphon the money. He called on the EFCC to trace the funds, identify the beneficiaries of the illegal transfers, and ensure that every kobo is recovered and returned to the public treasury or redirected to the legitimate beneficiaries.
Falana also warned that any attempt to sweep the matter under the carpet would further erode public confidence in the government and its anti-corruption agencies. He commended the EFCC for its recent efforts to prosecute high-profile corruption cases but urged the Commission to be more proactive in investigating cases involving the diversion of social intervention funds. The case involving the N33.75 billion cash transfers is likely to become a major test of the government’s commitment to accountability and transparency in the management of public funds.
