Whilst carpeting the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for failing to name the erstwhile top public office holder who stole public funds to build the 753 housing units now confiscated by the court of law, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has expressed unprecedented delight at the successful recovery of 753 housing units allegedly traced to former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele in Abuja.

However, HURIWA has opposed the decision to hand over these housing assets to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development even as the Rights group canvassed that the housing assets be donated to the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to be turned into living quarters for the armed forces just as some of them be donated to surviving direct families of military combatants killed or maimed in the ongoing war on terror.

Specifically, the estate, spanning 150,500 square metres, located on Plot 109, Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Abuja, was recovered and became the federal government?s property after a court ordered its final forfeiture in December last year. HURIWA in a statement on Wednesday condemned EFCC ?for persistently concealing the identity of the former top public officer who cornered public funds to erect those exotic edifices.?

A statement by the EFCC?s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said the commission?s Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, formally transferred the property during a brief ceremony at the headquarters of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development in in Abuja on Tuesday.

?The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has taken delivery of the 753 Housing Units Abuja housing estate of former Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,? the statement said.

Receiving the keys to the estate, the minister, Mr Dangiwa, praised the EFCC for what he called a ?significant milestone? in the collective effort to fight corruption.

HURIWA, however, believes that ?these houses would be sold at give-away prices to members of the All Progressives Congress and then the revenue recouped may be mismanaged for political campaigns for the second term ambition of President Tinubu.?

The rights group again canvassed that the housing assets be handed over to the Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa and the ministry of Defence for the purposes of resetting/repurposing them and then converting them as living quarters for serving soldiers just as some of the units of houses should be used to resettle families of soldiers killed or maimed by Boko Haram terrorists or bandits in the North East and North West. HURIWA said it is unfortunate that our Country is not sufficiently compensating members of the armed forces who are dying everyday to protect us from the venomous violence of Islamists and terrorists.

"Government should take steps to ensure that recovered stolen assets are not re-looted by the serving public office holders but these housing assets acquired unlawfully from stolen funds should be put to use to benefit patriotic Nigerians such as soldiers and members of the armed forces who are making the Supreme sacrifices to defend the territorial integrity of the federal Republic of Nigeria,? the rights group said in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko.

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