EFCC Hands Over N1.05bn To 659 Disengaged Adamawa Staff

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has handed over N1.05bn recovered during an investigation to 659 former staff of the Adamawa State Post-Primary Schools Management Board over their outstanding entitlements.

The Gombe Zonal Directorate of the commission presented a bank draft worth N1,054,919,532.61 to the beneficiaries, following an investigation into funds connected to their long-running payment dispute.

The recovery followed a petition submitted to the EFCC in 2024 by Abraham B. Song, who alleged that the affected workers were employed by the Adamawa State Government in 2012 and served for 29 months in various secondary schools across the state.

According to the petitioner, the state government declared their appointments illegal in 2014. The affected workers subsequently approached the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, which ordered the state government to pay their outstanding entitlements.

The alleged failure to comply with the court order led to garnishee proceedings against the state government’s bank accounts.

During its investigation, the EFCC said it received intelligence indicating a possible risk of suspicious misapplication of the funds. The commission subsequently took steps to preserve the money pending the outcome of its investigation, facilitating its recovery and eventual return to the beneficiaries.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, the Acting Zonal Director of the Gombe Directorate, Assistant Commander of the EFCC I, Austine Adache, reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to accountability and the restitution of recovered funds to their rightful owners.

The beneficiaries’ counsel, Luka Musa Haruna, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, received the bank draft on their behalf and commended the commission for its investigation and recovery efforts.

Song, whose petition initiated the investigation, also praised the EFCC, saying the recovery would help ease the financial hardship suffered by the affected workers.

The handover marks a step towards resolving the workers’ prolonged struggle to receive their entitlements after their appointments were declared illegal more than a decade ago.