The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) have intensified efforts to uncover fraud in financial transactions by government officials who will be leaving office on May 29.
Herald Nigeria gathered that operatives of the EFCC and their colleagues in the NFIU have been tasked to be on the lookout for evidence of looting of public funds or any suspicious financial activity by outgoing government officials, especially state governors.
Recall that the EFCC recently began a high-level probe of Imo state government under governor Rochas Okorocha. The probe has led to restrictions on the state-owned bank accounts.
One of the operatives involved in the assignment, confided in The Punch, that anti-graft agencies had gathered evidence against a number of outgoing governors and were on the lookout for last-minute transactions “which could serve as icing on the cake on some of these cases.”
A source in the NFIU also added that “All transactions which fall into certain categories are reported to us. On our part, we analyse the information and forward same to the appropriate security agency for further action.”
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On whether there was a special attention on governors, he said, “It doesn’t matter whether the person is a governor or an ordinary person on the street who is being used as a front within or outside this country, provided the transaction goes through the financial system, it will be flagged and we will get those involved.”
Also, a source from the EFCC said, “We have outgoing governors who are unaware we have built cases around their illegal activities while they were in government.
“Making the names of such people public at this point is like asking them to go into hiding.”
Commenting on the reports, the acting Media Head of the EFCC, Tony Orilade, said “If we have done our investigations and we have a prima facie case on anyone, of course, we will go after them at the expiration of their immunity on May 29th.
“Whoever has a case based on our discreet investigations, we will wait till when they no longer have immunity before inviting them for questioning.”