EFCC: How a Seized University Became a Federal Government Institution

By Eshioromeh Sebastian

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has revealed that a university seized from criminal elements has been transformed into a fully operational federal university now admitting students.

EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede made the disclosure on Friday in a post on his official X handle, stating that the institution, formerly known as NOK University in Kachia, Kaduna State, was finally forfeited to the Federal Government and subsequently converted into the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia (FUASK).

He noted that in December 2025, the university matriculated 1,909 students, many of whom would otherwise never have had the opportunity to pursue higher education.

“A university seized from crime is now a federal university,” Olukoyede said. “Young people who, in the ordinary course of things, would never have seen the inside of a lecture hall are now studying there.”

The EFCC boss also disclosed that a second private university had recently been forfeited to the government, pointing to the excessive luxury displayed in its facilities.

He revealed that the university, located in Kebbi State, had a temporary and permanent site, with a residence built for its vice-chancellor that he described as possibly larger than the presidential villa.

According to Olukoyede, the Commission’s asset recovery efforts between October 2023 and July 2026 have yielded significant results, including the forfeiture of 10,053 assets ranging from real estate and vehicles to factories, hotels, oil rigs, and aircraft.

He added that disposals of forfeited assets have so far returned N12.07 billion to the Federal Government, while total cash recoveries in naira stood at N1.233 trillion, alongside various foreign currencies.

The Commission also secured 10,872 convictions within the same period.

Olukoyede emphasised that the impact of the recoveries extends beyond punishment, strengthening government revenue and deterring future criminal enterprise.

“This is what enforcement looks like when it moves beyond punishment,” he said. “Every asset taken from a criminal enterprise lowers the reward for the next one — and some of it comes back as a classroom.”