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Tag: EFCC

  • No conflict with OAGF – EFCC

    No conflict with OAGF – EFCC

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said on Thursday there is no existing or impending face-off between it and the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

    The EFCC spokesman, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, stated this in a statement in Abuja.

    He said media reports suggesting there was conflict between both parties were the handiwork of “some unscrupulous persons.’’

    The EFCC and other anti-graft agencies were reported to have turned down a demand by the AGF, Abubakar Malami, for case files of ex-governors and senators under investigation.

    The reports had suggested that the “crisis of confidence’’ between the AGF and the anti-graft agencies, particularly the EFCC, would undermine the anti-corruption war of the current administration.

    Uwujaren said the reports emanated from the imaginations of “corrupt elements, angling to knock heads together in furtherance of their own pro-corruption agenda.’’

    He said: “For the avoidance of any doubt, the EFCC wishes to categorically state that it is compliant with all provisions of law, and has no intention to stoke misunderstanding over requests from the Office of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice.

    “Furthermore, the commission’s mandate, operational philosophy, the conduct and pronouncements of its officials, do not countenance any activity on the fringes of the law.

    “It is, therefore, untenable for there to be any suggestion that the EFCC or the commission’s principal officials are either in conflict with or readying for ‘showdown’ with the AGF or other officials of government.

    “Any such conflicts being paraded in the media exist only in the apparently fertile imaginations of corrupt elements, angling to knock heads together in furtherance of their own pro-corruption agenda.

    “All the brouhaha raised in recent days over a non-existent conflict between the EFCC and the office of the AGF, only go to underline the fact that corruption can, and is fighting back, in a variety of ways.’’

    NAN

  • No rift between OAGF and EFCC – Malami

    No rift between OAGF and EFCC – Malami

    The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), said on Thursday there is no rift between his office and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    Malami stated this during chat with journalists in Abuja.

    The AGF, who was asked if a letter he wrote to the EFCC over prosecution of high profile cases was causing rift between both offices, simply said “there is no rift”.

    He said the press briefing, which was on the first ever National Summit on Justice in the country, was to enable stakeholders harmonise various reforms in the justice sector.

    Malami said: “The summit is expected to bring together stakeholders in the justice sector to consider, adopt and validate the draft National Policy on Justice developed by a technical committee constituted by the Ministry of Justice in 2016.

    “Given the challenges militating against an effective administration of justice and the peculiarity of our federal system, there is the need to harmonise and integrate the various reform initiatives into a clearly articulated National Justice Policy.”

    The summit which starts on August 8 is will be declared open by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo

    Other participants are the Attorneys-General, Solicitors-General, Chief Judges of all the 36 states of the federation and the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

     

     

  • DisCos, EFCC partner to fight corruption

    DisCos, EFCC partner to fight corruption

    The Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC), the Police and other security agencies, are collaborating to rid the power sector of corrupt officials, it was learnt.

    ANED’s Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Mr. Sunday Oduntan, said the deal had reached an advanced stage, adding that many workers had been investigated for bribery, stealing and extortion of consumers. He said those  found guilty would be kicked out.

    Oduntan said: “Some workers  of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company(IBEDC) and other power distribution companies who were found  guilty of grievous offences, such as stealing of electricity facilities or money, have been handed over to EFFC for investigation. Also, they have been forced out of the system, by their employers.

    “Many of such people would follow suit very soon. The exercise is taking place across the country as part of efforts to sanitise the sector. We, at ANED, frown at such practices and have vowed to stop them, hence our decision to set up a team that is investigating criminal issues involving workers of the DisCos. The anti-graft agency complements our investigation by making it more effective and stronger.”

    According to him, ANED, the umbrella body of the 11 distribution companies, is on top of the game as it gets information on where such illegal activities take place and  follow it up.

    “If any member of the public is extorted by any of the officials of the DisCos, we would get necessary information on the officials involved, we would report him or her to the DisCo that has employed her. The DisCo, in turn, would carry out its own due diligence on the issue in order to find out whether the allegation levelled on such person(s) are founded or not. We work as a team as we do not leave any area untouched in our investigation,” he added.

    Oduntan said ANED had visited Abuja, Plateau State and other parts of the country to monitor the officials and get reports on their conducts.

    He said the issue of sanitising the sector must start in the house first before going outside.

    On debts, Oduntan said the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) owe the utility huge debts, adding that failure of the MDAs to pay their debts have made the debts accumulate over the years, which poses a big problem to the sector.

    He explained that the inability of the firms to meet their obligations to customers by supplying them electricity regularly, meters, and other equipment, was as a result of the debts.

    The DisCos, he said, were lacking funds to operate, stressing that the issue is affecting their performance. This is coupled with the fact that the power generation is decreasing in the country.

    According to him, if the power generation companies (GenCos) generate enough electricity for the DisCos, the DisCos still need to get funds to procure modern facilities. ‘’The DisCos need money to replace obsolete equipment with new ones in order to attain optimal delivery,’’ he said.

  • EFCC, Obono-Obla and anti-corruption war

    One of the constitutional amendments that Nigerians have been clamouring for is the separation of the office of attorney-general from the position of minister of justice. For many citizens, the continuous lumping together of the portfolio of attorney general with the minister of justice, a politician, will never improve the administration of justice in the land, strip it of all political encumbrances and in the end and make justice delivery truly blind.

    Typically, the 8th Senate, a parliament that has earned the notoriety of representing the people only by nomenclature, spectacularly failed the people yet again by voting against that item. Anyway, who expects a Senate that draws a sizable portion of its membership from politicians running from justice to pass such a fundamental law? Yes, this Senate has been reduced to a safe sanctuary for allegedly corrupt former governors, and some ‘crooked’ politicians and businessmen that can only make the day in court for any professional attorney general, not a politician appointed as minister of justice!

    In no other place has the tenuous relationship and contradictions inherent in the continuous merging of the office of the attorney general with a politically biased minister of justice inhibiting the administration of justice than the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Naturally, the EFCC as a commission reports to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice. The history of the relationship between the EFCC and its supervisory authority has not been what was envisaged by its founders.

    Instead, this relationship has been characterized by power play, intrigues and clash of interests. Except for the pioneer chairman, Nuhu Ribadu, no other chairman of EFCC, has enjoyed the relative independence of the commission, devoid of the hot breath of the supervisory authority down its shoulders. Even in his wee hours as chairman – when the government that appointed him left office – Ribadu was being subjected to the daily scrutiny of the attorney general who was pursuing his own political interests. Ask Ibrahim Lamorde and Mrs. Farida Waziri, they probably would not have nice things to say about their working relationship with Mohammed Adoke and Michael Aondoakaa, respectively.

    This background is perhaps necessary to locate the trajectory of the Special Assistant to the President on Prosecution, Okoi Obono-Obla. The previous week, Obono-Obla, as reported in the media accused the acting chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, and the ICPC chairman, Ekpo Nta, of insubordination. Specifically, he alleged that the two heads of anti-corruption agencies had refused to submit to the attorney general (or is it his National Committee on Prosecution), the case files of more than 35 high profile former governors and senators under their investigation.

    Obono-Obla who clearly came across as a proxy of the attorney general not only suggested reporting the EFCC and ICPC chairmen to the Presidency but equally threatened sanctions against them. Even more troubling is the introduction of subtle blackmail in Obono-Obla’s tone by suggesting that the non-submission of the files by the ant-corruption agencies “caused a setback to the anti-graft campaign of the federal government” and had led to the loss of some high-profile cases in court recently.

    It is reassuring that Obono-Obla, being a critical stakeholder, is worried about the flagging of the anti-corruption war of the Buhari government. Obono-Obla was appointed by a President who wants his fight against corruption to succeed perhaps more than any other policy. The President rightly or wrongly sees the EFCC as presently constituted perfectly suited to lead the onslaught against corruption. That is why despite the rejection of Ibrahim Magu by the Senate on two occasions, President Buhari insisted that the EFCC chairman remains his only choice to head the anti-corruption agency.

    The earlier, aides of President Buhari understand this position and work towards cooperating rather than weakening the choice of the President at EFCC, the better for all of us in terms of winning this war against a well-fortified enemy. It is interesting to note that the week Obono-Obla, on behalf of the attorney general, lashed out at Magu requesting for more than 35 files from the EFCC, was the same week the Senate voted against splitting the office of the attorney general from the minister of justice; it was the same week that the Senate within a record one week passed the National Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) Act into law seeking to remove it from the EFCC.

    More than anything else, the dirty politics within the executive arm apparently to force Ibrahim Magu out of the EFCC, for whatever reason, is responsible for the loss of steam in the fight against corruption. While it is all too easy to blame the Senate for truncating Magu’s confirmation, the Department of State Security, (DSS) provided the fuel with which the Senate used in lynching him.

    Now, the attorney general, using Obono-Obla as a proxy, is literally asking for the keys to the EFFC building because that is what submitting the requested files means. Yes, EFCC must report to the attorney general and seek clarifications where there are doubts but this whole idea of requesting for the files of high profile politicians under investigation triggers something quite ominous in the land. The last attorney general who made similar demands on the EFCC was Michael Aondoakaa under the presidency of Umar Musa Yar’Adua.

    By the time Aondoakaa finished with his abracadabra, Chief James Ibori, the former governor of Delta State, had escaped justice in Nigeria only to be convicted in a foreign country to the shame of our judiciary and the EFCC. Granted, the attorney general and Obono-Obla may have noble reasons for requesting EFCC to hand over files of high profile politicians under investigation for prosecution, but can they vouch for everyone in their team including their own staff that information will not be traded this time around? And mind you, in two years’ time, another general election is due and politicians are getting ever so desperate.

    There is no doubt that Obono-Obla is passionate about fighting corruption and wants successful prosecution of suspects in court. Indeed, he publicly speaks forcefully about this. Yet sometimes without knowing it, we sabotage the very projects we pursue with our own hands. Obono-Obla has been here and everywhere throwing his weight around; he is constantly getting on the nerves of his colleague lawyers who disagree with his viewpoint; he goes about castigating judges for taking sides with ‘corrupt people’ in explaining some of the losses the government has suffered in the courts. If he thinks this attitude helps in the anti-corruption war, he is dead wrong.

    What will help though is to use his committee to strengthen the EFCC; not by making himself a willing tool in an orchestrated plan that may end up undermining EFCC operations.

     

    • Ugboajah, a policy analyst, writes from Abuja.

     

  • IPMAN to EFCC: curb corruption in refineries, depots

    The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) yesterday urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to curb corruption in the sale of petroleum products in the refineries and depots across the country.

    Speaking with The Nation on phone,  its National Vice President, Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi said sharp practices in the allocation and loading of the products was still a major threat to the free flow of fuel that this administration advocates.

    “There is corruption in those Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) depots; you have to give them money before you load in any of  Warri, Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries,” he said.

    Maigandi, who commended the  Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru  for his visit to the EFCC, urged him to take advantage of the relationship to tackle corruption  in the oil downstream industry.

    He said only the NNPC is importing products and it sells them at a lower rate than the independent marketers, which is accountable for the price disparity.

    He added that some independent marketers have however followed suit to lower their pump prices because they seek high turnover. The situation, he said has made the market highly competitive to the benefit of the consumers.

    He said marketers were not accessing kerosene directly from NNPC, stressing that the middlemen are responsible for the additional cost in securing the kerosene.

  • IPMAN urges EFCC to curb corruption in refineries, depots

    IPMAN urges EFCC to curb corruption in refineries, depots

    The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) on Monday urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to curb corruption in the sale of petroleum products in the refineries and depots across the country.

    Speaking with The Nation on phone, the IPMAN National Vice President, Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi explained that sharp practices in the allocation and loading of the products was still a major threat to the free flow of fuel that this administration advocates.

    He said that “you know up till now there is corruption in those NNPC depots, you have to give them money before you load in any of them Warri, Port Harcourt and Kaduna. All the three refineries.”

    The IPMAN National Vice President, who commended the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru on his recent visit to the EFCC, asked him to take advantage of the relationship to tackle the corruption menace in the oil downstream industry.

    He, however, explained that only NNPC is importing products and it sells them at a lower rate than the independent marketers, which is accountable for the price disparity.

    He added that some independent marketers have however followed suit to lower their pump prices because they seek high turnover. The situation, he said has made the market highly competitive to the benefit of the consumers.

    He noted that marketers were not accessing kerosene directly from NNPC, stressing that the middlemen are responsible for the additional cost in securing the kerosene.

    His words: “The managing director, the other time visited Magu. So, all what they have said is good, if they can go and do it in the right way,  definitely the Kerosene price will crash. Now only NNPC is bringing kerosene because there is a subsidy, so that subsidy because the  NNPC is bringing their own, they sell it at a lower rate to the marketers.

    “So, marketers are not able to import it because of the rate NNPC is selling because they produce, so they sell it at a lower rate.

    They are selling at a lower rate but when marketers come, it will become at a higher rate. So that is the major problem that we are having now, the government is giving it at a lower rate but the marketers can not get it at that rate.

    “Another unnecessary cost, which is not going to the government’s pocket, if the marketers were getting it direct, the way government said they should sell, then definitely by now the kerosene will not pass N150 or 160 highest, in the filling station.

    “Let Magu work with that the Managing Director, since he has gone there to meet him to assist him, let him assist him to eradicate the corruption.”

  • Panama Papers: EFCC targets indicted Nigerians

    Panama Papers: EFCC targets indicted Nigerians

    •Govs, ex-govs, senators now bankroll anti-Magu project

    After almost two years of tracking and sieving of documents, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has identified Nigerians indicted in the famous Panama Papers.

    The list of the indicted persons may be made public soon ahead of further investigation and prosecution.

    Sources said yesterday that some of the implicated people were the brains behind the alleged plot to remove EFCC Acting Chairman Ibrahim Magu.

    The objective is to cover the tracks of such people said to include two serving governors, some ex-governors, Senators and a powerful Northern Emirate kingmaker.

    Investigation by our correspondent revealed that an investigative team raised by the EFCC chairman has already submitted a list of Nigerians with a case to answer on the Panama Papers.

    Although over 110 Nigerians were mentioned in the operation of offshore shell companies in tax havens, the EFCC team was said to have recorded a breakthrough last night in identifying those with issues to clear in court.

    “Our investigators have worked hard on Panama Papers in the last one year and we have reached a reasonable bend,” an EFCC source said.

    “As I talk to you, the EFCC has identified Nigerians who should be questioned and prosecuted for using shell companies to launder public funds.

    “We will soon release the names of those affected to the public. They will also be arrested preparatory to their interrogation and trial. Our report is ready.”

    Responding to a question, the highly-placed source added: “Our investigators have succeeded in using the evidence in Panama Papers to carry out forensic tracking of the activities of the indicted Nigerians. There is no hiding place for these elements and their international collaborators.”

    Panama Paper is a leakage of sensitive documents detailing how political world leaders, celebrities, athletes, FIFA officials and so on, hid money using anonymous shell corporations across the world.

    Online publication, PREMIUM TIMES, which was part of the investigative network said: “the unprecedented year-long investigation involving 11.5 million secret documents – which stretched from 1977 to December 2015 – exposed the hidden underground of the world economy, a network of banks, law firms and other middlemen that utilize shell companies, sometimes using them to hide illegal wealth.”

    The documents, held by Panama-based Mossack Fonseca, were released to Süddeutsche Zeitung, a German newspaper, and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

    The Panamanian law firm, regarded as one of the world’s most secretive companies, according to the documents, has helped clients launder money, dodge sanctions and evade tax.

    About 14,000 clients used Fonseca while 214,000 companies incorporated by Fonseca had their details leaked to journalists.

    Based on Panama Papers, Mr. Nawaz Sharif resigned as Prime Minister of Pakistan because of his disqualification from office by his country’s Supreme Court.

    The Supreme Court took the decision after a probe linked Sharif’s family, including his children, to offshore companies.

    As at press time, there were indications that those implicated in the Panama Papers have joined anti-Magu’s plot following leakage that EFCC was closing in on them.

    It was learnt that those who have drawn the battle line with Magu include two serving governors, some ex-governors, Senators and a powerful kingmaker in an Emirate in the North.

    Another source said: “Some of those jittery and neck deep in the plot were also linked with the scandal associated with the first tranche of over N517billion London-Paris Club refunds which was released to the 36 states and the FCT.

    “These influential leaders have been involved in lobbying to stop Magu from being re-nominated or cleared by the Senate.

    “The intelligence gathered was able to uncover how they had been meeting and committing huge funds to stop Magu

    “Their fears border on the fact that the Panama Papers might also play a key factor in the 2019 general election. Some of the indicted Senators are currently aspiring to be governors.”

     

  • We must maintain current tempo of anti-graft war – Magu

    We must maintain current tempo of anti-graft war – Magu

    The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, said on Thursday Nigeria must maintain the current tempo of anti-corruption campaign in order to end corruption in the country.

    He stated this at an anti-corruption conference organized by the National Orientation Agency (NOA), EFCC, National Human Rights Commission and HERDA Resource Centre in Abuja.

    The theme of the conference was – “Corruption and Human Rights in Nigeria: Realizing Fundamental Human Rights through Multi-stakeholders’ Fights Against Corruption.”

    Magu, who urged Nigerians not to be discouraged that corruption was being celebrated by the society, said the fight should be sustained.

    According to him, Nigeria has the right political goodwill which is important to fighting corruption.

    He said: “We should have the will to win and I am telling you if we maintain the tempo we will win.

    “We should not be discouraged that corruption is being celebrated. I think we should maintain it. It should not be discouraged. This is the only country where they said stealing, bribery and others should not be punished.

    “We have passed the level of trying to see the cause of corruption. We should find a solution to corruption. We must fight corruption. We should insist on fighting corruption.”

     

  • Anti-graft war: Opinion poll rates Magu high in 25 countries

    Anti-graft war: Opinion poll rates Magu high in 25 countries

    An opinion poll conducted by the United Kingdom based Global Peace Movement International on Friday revealed that the Acting Chairman of the  Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, got endorsements from respondents in 25 countries

    A statement issued by the President-General of the movement, Dr. Mike Uyi, said Magu had been endorsed by respondents in  25 leading nations of the world for his efforts  to combat and eliminate corruption in the country.

    He explained that the decision to conduct the poll by Global Peace Movement International was based on the need for an international survey to be carried out by an independent body.

    He said the EFCC chairman secured more than 96 percent endorsement in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, Canada, China and Belgium.

    He said the Global Peace Movement International would continue to be in the lead in the promotion of human rights, dignity and good governance around the world.

    Uyi said the results of survey on other public elected or appointed officials in Nigeria would soon be released to the public.

    According to the report, respondents from the U.S led the list of countries that endorsed the EFCC chairman with 92 percent responding in favour of the work Magu was doing, while seven percent responded in the negative.

    The UK respondents were with a 96 per cent affirmative, while four percent responded no.

    In France: 85 percent of respondents affirmed, while 11 declined.

    Other results of the polls by Global Peace Movement International showed that 90 per cent of the respondents in Germany voted in favour of the EFCC chairman, while 10 percent disapproved. Russia had 62 percent in favour of Magu, while 29 percent disapproved. Greece was 73 percent in favour, with 22 percent the other way.

     

  • Senate passes Bill to separate NFIU from EFCC in seven days

    THE Senate yesterday passed into law a bill, which seeks to make the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) autonomous.

    It was presented on the floor of the Senate seven days ago.

    The NFIU bill becomes the fastest passed by the Eighth Senate since its inauguration on June 9, 2015.

    When the bill receives concurrence from the House of Representatives and assented to, the NFIU will cease to be a department of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    The accelerated treatment given to the bill may have been informed by the suspension of Nigeria by Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Unit.

    The NFIU bill was passed against strong opposition mounted by the EFCC.

    The Senator Chukwuka Utazi-led Senate committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes was said to have held a public hearing on Wednesday, where the EFCC strongly opposed the passage of the bill.

    Director of NFIU Francis Oka-Phillips Usani, who was said to have attended the public hearing, was quoted as opposing the bill.

    Usani was said to have told the committee that the Egmont Group did not ask Nigeria to set up the intelligence unit as an agency.

    The NFIU boss was said to have explained to the committee that the unit was part of anti-graft agencies in parts of the world.

    He was said to have added the unit had generated intelligence information for security agencies.

    Usani, it was learnt, said that there might be a serious crisis that may force the Egmont Group to expel Nigeria if the Senate went ahead to create a full-fledged agency for NFIU.

    The Senate appeared to have received the committee’s report ahead of the public hearing.

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who presided when the bill was considered and passed, noted that when signed into law, the bill would strengthen the anti-corruption war.

    Ekweremadu said the international community would begin to take Nigeria seriously on the anti-graft war.

    He stated that with the passage, the suspension of Nigeria by Egmont Group will be lifted.

    Ekweremadu said: “I like to thank all of us for making sure that we passed this bill. This is a step towards fighting corruption in Nigeria. I hope the international community will take us seriously and lift the suspension. We want to ensure that there is no undue control over the activities of NFIU. What we have done is in consonant with what is done in other parts of the world.”

    Adopting a motion last Wednesday, the Senate resolved to pass a law creating a substantive and autonomous NFIU and make the unit legally and operationally autonomous with powers for the employment, reward, training, promotion and discipline of its workforce independently.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi had while briefing Senate Correspondents, explained that the Senate was committed to enacting the law in good time to boost the anti-corruption fight of the Federal Government.

    Abdullahi said if properly reorganised, the agencies that would benefit from the activities of the Egmont Group will include the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and many other relevant government agencies.