EFCC recovers unremitted N4.16b from lottery firms

The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mohammed Abba, said yesterday the commission recovered over N4.16 billion unremitted revenue from lottery companies.

He said this while hosting a delegation from the Ministerial Task Force for recovery of unpaid revenues from lottery businesses led by its Chairman, Williams Alo. Abba said many lottery firms were not faithful in remitting revenues to the government.

He said the anti-corruption agency decided to intervene to stop them from ripping the government off.

“We mapped out strategies which resulted in the recovery of over N1.16 billion from lottery companies operating in Abuja, with over N3 billion from their counterparts, operating in Lagos State,” the EFCC boss said.

Mohammed assured the task force of the EFCC’s support.

“We are willing and ready to partner you to ensure that lottery companies that have continuously shortchanged the government are made to cough out all the revenues they had deprived the government over the years,” he said.

Alo, who is also the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs, commended the EFCC for its effort in recovering the unremitted lottery funds.

“It is in our record that the EFCC has assisted the lottery business in no small way, because a lot of recoveries have been made for us by the EFCC and the money recovered has always been handed over to the lottery trust fund,” Alo said.

However, he called for more support from the commission in the fund recovery drive of the task force.
“Our main purpose is to solicit for continuous collaboration and partnership, after all we are in the same line of business which is making sure that life is better for Nigerians,” Alo stated.