From Ankeli Emmanuel, Sokoto
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday 30 November, 2023 in Sokoto indicted corruption as a principal reason behind the unrelenting quest to migrate out of Nigeria among the country’s youth population.
“If all things are working fine in the country, nobody would want to leave the country. We therefore want collaboration with Nigerians on how best to prevent economic and financial corruption to make our country better”, Head, Public Interface Unit, EFCC Headquarters, Abuja, Mr. Tony Orilade has said.
Orilade spoke while addressing newsmen and Civil Society Organizations, (CSOs) and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) at the Sokoto Zonal Command office of the commission.
While noting that EFCC alone cannot fight economic and financial crimes in Nigeria, Orilade appealed for collaborative efforts of all Nigerians to help the Commission achieve their mission.
Supporting the call for collaboration towards preventing corruption in Nigeria, Hajiya Aisha Muhammed, the EFCC’ s Head of Orientation and Enlightenment Unit, Abuja said CSOs and CBOs are critical stakeholders in the struggle towards mitigating economic and financial crimes.
Muhammed, who noted that cybercrimes remained one of the greatest crimes affecting Nigerian youths lately, added that the EFCC is dedicated to public enlightenment on the ills of corruption using diverse platforms and engaging with CSOs, CBOs as they are doing in Sokoto.
Responding to questions from newsmen on whether or not plea bargain encourage corruption, ACE 1 Aliyu Yunusa said it is an acceptable legal practice that the EFCC cannot reject.
Yunusa, who is the Zonal Commander of EFCC in charge of Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States, however added that plea bargain, sometimes, depends on the gravity of the corruption involved.
On how recovered loots are used, the Zonal Commander stated that some of the recovered funds are for individuals whose cases are reported to the commission by the petitioners.
He added that those recoveries that are believed to have been looted from government are deposited in Federal Government account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
“Most of such monies are forfeited to the Federal Government after court judgment”, the Zonal Commander disclosed.
Speaking on the challenges faced by the EFCC in preventing corruption, the Deputy Zonal Commander, Adesola Amusan, listed citizens non-compliance in investigations, lack of witnesses, religious and tribal sentiments as well as the law as some of the factors placing huge constraints on effective prosecution of corrupt individuals.
Anusan said: “EFCC cannot be the prosecutor and at the same time witness. Sometimes, we lose cases due to technicality of absence of witness. This is also in addition to how both religion and tribalism affect investigation and prosecution of corruption cases.
“Most worrisomely, is the fact that, our laws place the onus of proof on the prosecutor unlike in other climes where the accused is to prove his innocence beyond reasonable doubt”.
Leave a Reply