The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has admitted that the recent electronic auction of forfeited vehicles was marred by technical glitches, following widespread complaints from participants.
The auction, which ran from January 20 to 27, saw over four million Nigerians take part in bidding for 891 forfeited vehicles. However, many participants expressed frustration over alleged bid manipulation, technical failures, and a lack of transparency.
Complaints surfaced on social media, with some bidders alleging that their offers mysteriously disappeared, while others claimed the process seemed skewed in favour of select individuals.
Reacting to the backlash, Dele Oyewale, head of EFCC media and publicity, issued a statement on Thursday acknowledging the flaws in the process.
“Relevant departments of the commission monitored the exercise and can confirm that there were glitches,” Oyewale said.
“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 EFCC spokesperson described the technical issues as “unfortunate,” saying they undermined the agency’s intent to conduct a fair and transparent auction.
“The complaints arising from the exercise are rather unfortunate and detract from the plan of the Commission in settling for online auction, which was designed to provide a platform for seamless and transparent participation by millions of Nigerians interested in purchasing the forfeited assets,” he added.
Oyewale assured that all legitimate complaints would be reviewed to ensure that no bidder was unfairly treated.
“The commission 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,” he said.
He also noted that successful bidders who completed the process without any issues would be allocated their vehicles.
“The commission’s only interest in the public auction is to ensure that the assets are disposed of in the most transparent manner and that the nation gets value for the assets. This cannot be compromised under any circumstance.”
