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EFCC, bidders disagree over car auction

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EFCC, bidders disagree over car auction
29th January 2025The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has tackled the protesting bidders alleging irregularities in the car auctioning recently held in different locations across the country.This development is coming on the heels of the conclusion of the exercise, which lasted between Monday, January 20 and Monday, January 27, 2025.

One of the auctioned vehicles.
Upon conclusion, bidders shared screenshots on various social media showing outrageous amounts as bids, leaving room for many of them to back out on some of the deals.

The bidding ranged from N1 billion to N330 billion for mid-range and averagely sophisticated Lexus jeeps and SUVs.

Reacting, one user who identified as Daniel Momoh on X.com shared his frustrations, saying, “Dear @officialEFCC, it is a pity that you and your auctioneers cheated us out of a legitimate process we engaged in yesterday where I won four different vehicles, namely: Toyota Venza – 2,670,000; Lexus ES350 – 2,000,000; Lexus IS250 – 2,520,000 and Toyota – Camry – 1,500,000.

“I woke up this morning to see that my name has been replaced with another name, which blocked me from assessing the website via the account I opened before the bidding.”

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Another user, who identified as #Kennylekel, wrote, “EFCC, the website for the official auction for the cars, suddenly brought out error 502 about 43 minutes to the end of the auction!! We hope it is not intentional to select your preferred bidders. I have been bidding since 11 am. Kindly respond.

One CIA on X.com also said, “This is just to fulfil all righteousness and to do some damage control. The cars listed here have been sold to their staff and cronies for very small sums. If you eventually buy it over from them, you’ll also be suspected and arrested for being a fraudster.”

“The auction you conducted yesterday was a sham! In a bid to rig the system, the incompetent auctioneers you engaged allowed a bid of N350,000,000,000 for a Lexus RX 350 Jeep. It’s not a glitch. It’s a deliberate attempt to gate-keep others from bidding,” a user who identifies as Baron El’Sama opined.

Also, a user on X.com said, “I’ve just seen magic happen right before my eyes. A C300 with lot number ADC/BEN/AU/98 that I bid on and won at N5,570,001 just vanished from the auction site. EFCC, una well done.”

In his remark, a user on Facebook who identifies as Aromeh Joshua said, “EFCC auction: Checked two of the Lagos Auctioneers, and their website is (Resource Limit is Reached) temporarily unavailable. A few were hurriedly put together.”

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Another user who wrote with name, Hafiz Bawa, on X.com wrote, “Dear @officialEFCC, I am reporting alleged fraudulent activity earlier today during the motor vehicle auction that raises serious concerns about fairness and integrity. It appears that the highest bidder and a “short bidder” colluded to manipulate the auction.

“The highest bidder placed excessively high bids to inflate the price, knowing they would not pay. Under the auction terms, this allowed the short bidder, who had the second-highest bid, to win at an inflated price. This tactic disadvantaged legitimate bidders and exploited the rules, undermining the auction’s fairness. I urge an immediate investigation into this matter.”

“I have seen seven people come out here to accuse the @officialEFCC of committing fraud through this auction. I have yet to see anyone come out to say they actually got the car they bid for.  And yet, the institution isn’t addressing the crime that has been carried out. We need to do better,” one user who identifies as Tchalla Kingsman noted.

“Those that are alleging non-transparency are just being economical with the truth. The auction process was electronic and open bidding. There is no way of any extraneous influence or intervention. The allgation is unfounded, it can neither be supported by fact nor logic. Everybody that participated gave a remark that they were able to get; some even said they were outbid.”

Reacting to the allegations in a telephone conversation, EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said the agency has no hand in the process because the auction procedure was handed over to government-licenced auctioneers.

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He maintained that some people could have bid outrageous money to frustrate the process, stressing that it might be deliberate sabotage.

“It is betweeen the auctioneers and the bidding public, it has nothing to do with us. We did not interfere in any of the processes at all,” he noted.

He further challenged the public to bring proof of compromise, adding that not even his close ones could get his influence to secure a vehicle in the auctioning process.

Recall that last week Monday, the commission listed over 850 cars forfeited to the Federal Government for auction across different locations in the country. (https://punchng.com/efcc-to-auction-850-recovered-vehicles/)

The cars, ranging from luxury vehicles to mid-range Toyota Camry, were recovered by the EFCC in the course of investigations into various financial crimes, including corruption, money laundering, and cybercrime.

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EFCC explained that the auction was in line with the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004, Public Procurement Act, 2007 and the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery & Management) Act, 2022.

The auction, according to the statement, is scheduled to be held in various locations across the country, including Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Kano, and will be executed by the EFCC in collaboration with appointed auctioneers.

According to the statement, the commission has called on interested members of the public to participate in the auction, promising that the process will be transparent and fair.

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OYC Warns ICPC Chairman Against Alleged Bias in Uche Nnaji Case

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The Apex sociocultural youth organization of the Igbo race worldwide, Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), has described the current arrest made by the Independent Corrupt Practice and Other Related Offence (ICPC) against former Minister of Science and Technology and the 2027 People Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for Enugu State, Hon. Uche Nnaji, regarding his certificate, as a deliberate political witch-hunt orchestrated by the Governor of Enugu State, His Excellency Gov. Peter Mbah.

In a press address in Enugu on Wednesday, 8th July 2026, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, National President of Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), called on Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), to maintain the commission’s ethical standards, threatening to seek his removal if evidence confirms the alleged bias of ICPC in favor of Governor Peter Mbah against Hon. Uche Nnaji regarding the 2027 Guber election.

*The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) revealed that the fight against Hon. Uche Nnaji is a battle for the Enugu Governorship and the “Lions Building Seat” in 2027, and dismissed the certificate forgery allegations against Uche Nnaji as a political distraction and blackmail.*

The surreptitious entry into the court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to obtain a court order detaining Hon Uche Nnaji is a teleguided executive overreach attributed to Gov Peter Mbah apparently aimed at silencing Hon Uche Nnaji, which is highly censurable.

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The Council stated that “A court of competent jurisdiction is presently handling the unsubstantiated certificate forgery case, and the University of Nigeria Nsukka and Hon Uche Nnaji have opted for an out-of-court settlement, following recent findings of misinformation.

Therefore, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), should maintain a neutral stance regarding the Enugu State Governorship battle to preserve his reputation built through his legal career and public service, and avoid being perceived as succumbing to Governor Peter Mbah’s alleged attempts to utilize executive power to blackmail and witch-hunt Hon. Uche Nnaji.

The Ohanaeze Youth Council(OYC) warned Governor Peter Mbah to concentrate on fulfilling his unfulfilled campaign promises to Enugu State rather than chasing Hon Uche Nnaji through the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC)

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Governor Mbah’s Compassionate Gesture Brings Relief to Enugu Fire Victims

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Families displaced by the recent fire outbreak in the Asata area of Enugu have received immediate relief from the Enugu State Government following the intervention of Governor Peter Mbah, who directed that palliative support be provided to ease their suffering.
Chairman of the Enugu State Emergency Management Agency (ESEMA), Chinasa Mbah, disclosed that the agency promptly delivered the relief materials in compliance with the governor’s directive.
“We have given them some palliative as directed by His Excellency. Our report has equally gone in, and we await further instructions,” Mbah said.
She explained that ESEMA has completed its assessment of the incident and submitted its recommendations to the state government, adding that additional assistance for the affected families will depend on the governor’s approval of the agency’s report.
The swift response underscores Governor Mbah’s commitment to standing with citizens in times of distress. The victims, whose homes and belongings were destroyed in the fire that gutted two flats in a two-storey building on Church Road, Asata, are expected to receive further support as the government considers ESEMA’s recommendations.

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Questions Persist As Almajiri Commissions Attempts to Defend Projects Outside Its Mandate

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The National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education (NCAOOSCE) has defended the inclusion of projects outside its statutory mandate in the 2026 budget, insisting they are National Assembly constituency projects assigned to the commission for implementation.
However, the explanation has done little to quell public scrutiny, with critics questioning why a commission established to tackle the Almajiri system and out-of-school children—challenges largely concentrated in Northern Nigeria—is overseeing projects reportedly located in parts of the South-West.
The controversy has also been fuelled by concerns over the scale of the allocations, as the value of the disputed constituency projects is said to far exceed the funds earmarked for the commission’s core education programmes.
Responding to the criticism in a statement issued on Monday, the commission’s Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Nura Muhammad, said the projects were included in the 2026 Appropriation Act under the long-standing practice of assigning constituency projects to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for execution.
According to the commission, once such projects are approved in the federal budget and allocated to an agency, they become part of its implementation responsibilities.
“As part of a duly enacted federal budget, every project assigned to the commission forms part of its implementation responsibilities and will be executed in strict compliance with extant laws, financial regulations and due procurement processes,” the statement said.
NCAOOSCE maintained that the inclusion of the projects does not alter its statutory mandate, stressing that it remains focused on addressing the Almajiri system and reducing the number of out-of-school children across Nigeria.
The commission cited its achievements, including the profiling of more than 700,000 out-of-school children, the establishment of 119 learning centres, ward-to-ward advocacy campaigns, and the implementation of the National Policy on Almajiri Education, as evidence of its commitment to its core responsibilities.
This version attributes the concerns to critics and public scrutiny rather than stating them as established facts.

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Police Inspector Dies in Alleged Police Convoy Accident in Enugu

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A Police Inspector, Dr. Obodo Paul Ikechukwu, has reportedly died after he was involved in a fatal road accident allegedly involving a police convoy in Enugu State.

The deceased, who hailed from Nkpologu in Enugu State, was serving in the Operations Department of the Enugu State Police Headquarters at the time of the incident.

Details surrounding the circumstances of the accident remain unclear, but sources said the inspector was fatally injured after being struck by a vehicle in a police convoy.

Dr. Obodo, who was also a PhD holder, was described by colleagues and associates as a dedicated officer whose death has come as a shock to members of the police command and his community.

As of the time of filing this report, the Enugu State Police Command had not issued an official statement on the incident, while further details are being awaited.

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Mbaka Offers Prayers, Endorses Mbah’s Leadership Ahead of Election (See Video)

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The Spiritual Director of the Adoration Ministry Enugu, , has offered prayers for , praying for God’s favour, protection, and victory as the state approaches the coming elections.

Speaking during a church gathering, Mbaka declared that Governor Mbah would succeed, expressing confidence that God, whom he said had begun a great work through the governor, would bring it to completion.

“It shall be well with Peter Mbah; may the favour of God be with him. We back him with our prayers. The Adoration family throws our prayers around him, that he will succeed, in the name of Jesus. May God grant him the power of victory at the end of the whole election,” Mbaka said.

The cleric further expressed hope that Mbah’s leadership would bring joy to the Igbo people, the people of Enugu State, and the Church, adding that the Igbo economy could witness greater advancement under his administration.

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According to Mbaka, the progress recorded so far gives hope that greater achievements lie ahead, stressing that God would perfect the work already begun.

His remarks come as political activities continue to gather momentum ahead of the forthcoming elections.

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