The Journalists Against Corruption (JAC), a non -governmental, not-for-profit advocacy group, has called on western countries, especially European American, Spanish, Swish and other nations, whose citizens were duped by Nigerians but had their funds and properties returned to them recently by the Economic and and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to reciprocate the Nigerian government gesture.
It will be recalled that as a gesture of its commitment to tackling economic and financial crimes and offering restitution to victims of fraudulent practices, the EFCC, last week handed over a total sum $132,362.43 (One Hundred and Thirty Two, Three Hundred and Sixty Two United States Dollars, Forty Three Cents), N78,566, 324. 81 (Seventy Eight Million, Five Hundred and Sixty Six Thousand, Three Hundred and Twenty Four Naira, Eighty one kobo) to American, Spanish and Swiss victims of local fraudsters.
JAC, in a press statement on Sunday signed by its Programme Coordinator, Kehinde Osifisan, posited that: “It is binding on the foreign countries not only to reciprocate the gesture of the EFCC but also to ease the access of the Nigerian government to proceeds of corruption stashed away by Nigerians in these foreign countries, especially by politically exposed persons.
“It is actually ridiculous, hypocritical and unacceptable for these countries to hold on to proceeds of corruption from Nigerian for years, and in some instances, decades, and then turn around to give funny conditions to Nigerian government before the money could be accessed”, the group said.
“In fact, it is our firm demand that the stashed away funds by Nigerians in these foreign countries, having been used for the benefits of their economies, should be returned to Nigeria with calculated interest, instead of dictating to a sovereign nation how it should spend its recovered wealth”, JAC added.
The group, while commending the Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, and his team for the accomplished strides against corruption, urged them not to be discouraged, “especially in the face of campaign of calumny by perpetrators of corruption and their local and foreign collaborators”.
