Auction of vehicles: EFCC vows to investigate complaints against auctioneers

By John Ogunsemore

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has promised an investigation into allegations of underhanded dealings by some accredited auctioneers in the just concluded public auction of forfeited vehicles.

Head of Media & Publicity of EFCC, Dele Oyewale disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

Some bid winners had taken to X to allege that auctioneers switched their names after the conclusion of the bidding process.

In the statement, the EFCC spokesman said the commission noted “with concern, the reported unsavoury experiences of some Nigerians who participated in the just concluded public auction of forfeited vehicles conducted by accredited auctioneers on behalf of the commission.

“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.”

The EFCC said relevant departments of the commission monitored the exercise and confirmed that there were glitches.

The commission further said this observation was communicated to the auctioneers for remedial action.

However, it said could 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 auction which was 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 4million) perhaps stretched the carrying capacity of the online facilities of the auctioneers, while unstable internet service in parts of the country exacerbated the challenge,” the statement reads in part.

The EFCC said it is currently awaiting the report of the auctioneers, assuring that genuine complaints by members of the public would be reviewed to ensure that no one is short-changed in the exercise.

“Those who follow through the process without glitches and emerged winners will certainly 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 the nation gets value for the assets. This cannot be compromised under any circumstance,” the EFCC stated.