EFCC will prosecute looters of TETFund grant – Magu

The Acting Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr Ibrahim Magu, has assured management of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) that the anti-graft agency will assist it in bringing to book all those who mismanaged funds meant for the development of tertiary institutions in the country.

Magu said, “The work at hand is enormous, and we are intensifying investigations in all zones across the country.

A statement by the EFCC’s Head, Media and Publicity Wilson Uwujaren, quoted Magu as saying this when the Tetfund Management led by its Executive Secretary, Dr Abdullahi Baffa, paid a courtesy visit to the EFCC Head Office in Abuja on Thursday.

Speaking of a conviction secured in Osun State over a fraud case prosecuted by the EFCC involving TETFund funds, Magu said, “We have seen more people that could be held culpable.

“We are ready to partner to block all loopholes.”

He used the opportunity to encourage Baffa and his team, to simplify its processes “to prevent further stealing”, and to also “sensitize members of the public and all relevant stakeholders concerning TETFund and its project in their area.

“It will allow the people to monitor the projects and the activities of the contractors,” he said.

While commending the EFCC for its “giant strides in the fight against corruption”, Baffa stressed that the assistance of the agency had become a necessity “to tackle the menace of inappropriate projects, abandoned projects, mismanaged funds, and stolen funds, which are almost grounding the institutions”.

“We have also put in place some mechanisms to checkmate fraudulent activities between contractors and these tertiary institutions, but we still need the EFCC’s assistance to escalate the matter to prevent further damage to the educational sector and tertiary institutions,” he added.