EFCC Returns Over N1bn to 659 Disengaged Adamawa Teachers
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has handed over a bank draft worth N1.05 billion to 659 disengaged staff of the Adamawa State Post-Primary Schools Management Board following an investigation into their unpaid entitlements.
The funds, amounting to N1,054,919,532.61, were recovered by the EFCC’s Gombe Zonal Directorate and presented to the beneficiaries through their legal representative.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, the Acting Zonal Director, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, Austine Adache, said the commission remained committed to accountability, justice and the return of recovered funds to their rightful owners.
He stressed that the agency would continue to pursue financial misconduct cases and ensure that victims receive appropriate redress in line with the law.
The beneficiaries’ counsel, Luka Musa Haruna, SAN, who received the draft on their behalf, thanked the commission for its investigation and efforts to recover the money. He also expressed confidence in the EFCC’s ability to tackle economic and financial crimes.
Similarly, Abraham B. Song, whose petition prompted the investigation, commended the commission for its intervention, saying the recovered funds would help ease the financial difficulties experienced by the affected workers.
The investigation followed a petition submitted by Song in 2024 over the disengaged staff’s outstanding entitlements.
According to the petition, the 659 workers were employed by the Adamawa State Government in 2012 and served for 29 months in various secondary schools before their appointments were declared illegal by the government in 2014.
The affected workers subsequently approached the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Yola Judicial Division, sitting in Jos, which ordered the state government to pay their outstanding entitlements.
However, the alleged failure of the government to comply with the judgment led to garnishee proceedings against its bank accounts.
During its investigation, the EFCC reportedly received intelligence suggesting a possible suspicious diversion or misapplication of the funds. The commission subsequently took steps to preserve the money while investigating the matter, leading to its recovery and eventual return to the beneficiaries.
The handover brings relief to the affected workers, who have spent years pursuing payment of their entitlements following their disengagement.
