The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has handed over 1,452 items recovered from proceeds of crime to the Federal Ministry of Education to support schools across Nigeria.
The items, which include 501 double-step bunk beds, 939 mattresses and 12 wooden beds with mattresses, were presented to the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, during a ceremony in Abuja on Tuesday.
EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, said the items were recovered during “Operation Eagle Flush,” a nationwide operation carried out in late 2024 targeting cybercrime and other financial offences.
He described the operation as the largest single operation conducted by the commission, noting that it resulted in the arrest of 792 suspects, including 193 foreign nationals who were prosecuted, convicted and later deported after serving their sentences.
Olukoyede said the decision to channel the recovered assets into education was part of the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring that proceeds of crime are used to benefit Nigerians.
He explained that children and young people were among the biggest victims of corruption and financial crimes, making the education sector a natural beneficiary of recovered assets.
The EFCC chairman also highlighted previous interventions involving recovered assets, including the transfer of a forfeited university facility to the Federal Government, which was later converted into the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, Kaduna State.
He added that recovered proceeds of crime also contributed to the establishment of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which has provided support to more than 1.4 million students.
According to him, improving access to education would help reduce the number of young Nigerians vulnerable to cybercrime and other financial offences.
Olukoyede assured Nigerians that recovered assets would continue to be managed transparently, stressing that no forfeited funds or properties would be misused.
Receiving the items, Education Minister Tunji Alausa praised the EFCC for its efforts in fighting corruption and ensuring that stolen resources are redirected towards national development.
Alausa said education remained central to President Bola Tinubu’s economic plans, noting that developing the country’s youth was critical to achieving long-term growth.
He disclosed that the first N50bn seed funding for NELFUND came from recovered proceeds of crime, describing it as an example of how stolen resources could be transformed into public benefits.
The minister added that the newly delivered hostel facilities would be distributed to federal unity colleges across the country to improve learning conditions for students.
The handover is part of the Federal Government’s broader policy of using forfeited assets from corruption and financial crimes to support critical sectors, especially education.
