Nigeria’s anti-graft agency recovers nearly $500 million in one year

Nigerian Police officers deploy ahead of an anti government demonstration in Lagos, on October 1, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 10 March 2025
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Nigeria’s anti-graft agency recovers nearly $500 million in one year

  • Nigeria is ranked 140 out of 180 on Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perception Index

LAGOS: Nigeria’s economic crimes commission said it recovered nearly $500 million in proceeds of crime last year and secured more than 4,000 criminal convictions, its highest since the agency’s inception more than two decades ago.
Africa’s biggest energy producer, Nigeria has struggled for decades with endemic corruption, which many Nigerians say contributes to widespread poverty in the country.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which investigates and prosecutes corruption in Nigeria, said in a report on Monday that some of the recovered money was reinvested in government projects.
Nigeria is ranked 140 out of 180 on Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perception Index.
Besides cash, the EFCC said it also seized 931,052 metric tons of petroleum products, 975 real estate properties and company shares.


NATO’s Rutte says Arctic talks with Trump will focus on keeping Russia, China out

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NATO’s Rutte says Arctic talks with Trump will focus on keeping Russia, China out

  • Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wanted to acquire Greenland, citing ‌national security
  • US President’s ambitions have put strain on the NATO ⁠alliance
DAVOS, Switzerland: NATO Secretary Mark Rutte said on Thursday that he and US President Trump had discussed in Davos how the transatlantic alliance should best defend the Arctic against Russia and China.
Trump has repeatedly said he wanted to acquire Greenland, citing ‌national security, though ‌on Wednesday ‌he ⁠ruled out ‌using force and suggested a deal was in sight to end the dispute over the Danish overseas territory following talks with Rutte.
Trump’s ambitions have put strain on the NATO ⁠alliance.
Rutte said he had a “very good discussion” ‌with Trump on how NATO ‍allies can ‍work collectively to ensure Arctic ‍security, including not just Greenland but the seven NATO nations with land in the Arctic.
Further talks would build on the Washington meeting last week between the United States and delegations from ⁠Denmark and Greenland. “One workstream coming out of yesterday ... is to make sure when it comes to Greenland, particularly, that we ensure that the Chinese and the Russians will not gain access to the Greenland economy (or) militarily to Greenland,” Rutte told a panel at the World Economic Forum.