The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has announced plans to review complaints from Nigerians who participated in the recently concluded public auction of forfeited vehicles conducted by accredited auctioneers on its behalf.
EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.
Oyewale said the commission received reports of various challenges, including difficulties accessing auctioneers’ websites, being shut out after submitting bids, and concerns over high bid prices.
“Among the complaints received by the Commission were the inability of some citizens to access the websites of the auctioneers, being shut out from the platforms after submitting bids, and outrageous bid prices, among others,” Oyewale added.
“Relevant Departments of the Commission monitored the exercise and can confirm that there were glitches. This observation was communicated to the auctioneers for remedial action. The Commission could, however, not directly intervene while the exercise was ongoing because the process had been assigned to duly accredited and licensed auctioneers in line with provisions of Sections 4(a)(b) of the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act, 2022 and Section 55 of the Public Procurement Act, 2007.
“The complaints arising from the exercise are rather unfortunate and detract from the plan of the Commission in settling for online auctions, which were designed to provide a platform for seamless and transparent participation by millions of Nigerians interested in purchasing the forfeited assets.
“Without making excuses for the auctioneers, it is possible that the sheer number of participants in the exercise (over 4 million) perhaps stretched the carrying capacity of the online facilities of the auctioneers, while unstable internet service in parts of the country exacerbated the challenge.”
According to him, the EFCC is currently awaiting the report of the auctioneers and assures that genuine complaints by members of the public will be reviewed to ensure that no one is short-changed in the exercise.
Oyewale added that those who followed through the process without glitches and emerged winners will certainly be allocated their vehicles.
He said, “The Commission’s only interest in the public auction is to ensure that the assets are disposed of in the most transparent manner and the nation gets value for the assets. This cannot be compromised under any circumstance.”
