Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, yesterday sought funding for the EFCC academy project.

He was addressing newsmen in Abuja after defending the 2023 budget of the commission before the House of Representatives Committee on Anti-Corruption.

He said the commencement of the project would cost N3bn naira as appropriated last year by the National Assembly, noting, however, that the whole project would cost about N50bn.

Bawa said he would seek Federal Executive Council’s approval for the commencement of the proposed academy project.

He said: We’re building a brand new EFCC academy and we need funding for that. Last year, N3bn was allocated and this year, nothing was allocated for it.

“And that’s why we’re pleading with members that we need to have this new EFCC Academy because, of course, we’ve to learn, as fighters of crime, we’ve to be ahead of these criminals and the only way you can do that is by training and retraining. It can never end.

“We need admin block, parade ground, sports complex, housing for the staff, hostels and lecture halls as well as computers.”

He said the EFCC had made a lot of recoveries in line with the laws guiding assets’ forfeiture, disposal and remittances of proceeds of crimes.