Once
again, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, wishes to call the
attention of the general public to the activities of a band of fraudsters who
have been extorting head of ministries, departments and agencies, claiming they
were acting at the behest of Ibrahim Magu, acting Chairman of the Commission.
No fewer than three ministers have in the last few weeks drawn the attention of
the Commission to the activities of this gang of criminals. This information
points to a worrisome trend in which criminal groups now use the good name of
the chairman of the EFCC to con unsuspecting members of the public.
A
few months ago, the Commission had cause to issue a statement after it came to
light that some person had been approaching suspects under investigation by the
Commission, claiming they have the instruction of the acting chairman to seek
gratification for them to be given soft landings. Also, there have been
instances in the past in which fraudsters cloned the email and Facebook accounts
of the EFCC Chairman and were sending messages demanding bribes from
unsuspecting members of the public.
These
reports are indeed worrisome as they detract from the well-established mode of
operation by the Commission. As a highly disciplined and professional organization,
demanding and receiving bribes are serious offences against discipline in the
EFCC. The punishment for such acts includes dismissal and prosecution. Staff of
the Commission are reasonably well paid and have no need to seek rent from suspects.
The mere fact that a supposed officer of the EFCC demands gratification should
put the public on notice. Under no circumstance should members of the public
offer gratification to any one that claims to be an officer of the EFCC. Indeed
such demand for gratification is enough indication that the so called ‘operative’
could be an impostor.
The
Commission regularly receives report about fake invitation letters to persons
and organizations by fraudsters claiming that such persons are under
investigation by the agency. Some victims of this scam have been directed to
unimaginable places and defrauded by the criminals. Many victims however believed
they actually dealt with bonafide officers of the Commission, while those who
belatedly realise their folly are often too embarrassed to come forward. This
calls for circumspection as the public need to verify such invitations and
ensure they truly emanate from the Commission,
Unfortunately,
despite repeated warnings, some members of the public continue to fall prey to
the antics of these fraudsters. The EFCC again wishes to dissociate itself from
the activities of these criminal gangs. Mr. Magu has not mandated any person to
collect gratification under any guise on his behalf. Those doing so are simply employing
the fear factor to defraud persons who apparently are too jittery about
prospects of investigation by the Commission. The EFCC as an agency does not
condone gratification either to facilitate or ‘kill’ an ongoing investigation.
The
EFCC will no longer tolerate the activities of these fraudsters which is
capable of eroding the credibility of the agency and the integrity of its leadership.
Consequently, the Commission warns that it will deal decisively with anyone
caught using the name of the EFCC or its chairman for fraudulent purposes.
Consequently,
the public is implored to report any one found to be soliciting gratification
on behalf of the Chairman of the EFCC or any senior officer of the agency, to
the nearest police station or contact the EFCC through this number: 0903131991,
or send email to: efccnigeria.org.
No comments:
Post a Comment