The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, on Tuesday called for immediate and unconditional return of Nigerian stolen assets stashed abroad.
Olukoyede, according to a statement posted on the commission’s X handle on Wednesday, made the call at the ongoing 10th session of the Conference of State Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption in the United States.
He said the looted assets stashed in foreign countries are required for the growth of the Nigerian economy.
The chairman said: “We need the cooperation of all the countries that are custodians or in charge of warehousing all these stolen assets from Africa.
“It has become extremely important for us to see you as our collaborators, as countries that support us in the fight against corruption.
“Now, when you look at corruption, it has become a transnational crime. If you are holding on to those assets, you are creating very difficult legal hurdles in recovering those assets. You are indirectly encouraging the perpetrators of the crimes we are talking about.
“And when you encourage it in Africa, it has a tendency of affecting you too, because the kind of financial crimes we are talking about have become global. So, it has become important for you to cooperate with us.”
