-SG (1).gif)
ECONOMIC and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) officials have commenced investigations into a case involving allegations that the attorney-general of the federation Abubakar Malami compromised several graft cases.
In a dramatic development, an audio tape has emerged of an EFCC operative Mohammed Idris, alleging that Mr Malami used his office to influence cases under investigation. Responding to the matter, EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said the agency would activate its internal mechanism to deal with the issues arising therefrom.
In one of the multiple audio recordings, Mr Idris was heard saying: “Malami now controls the EFCC. The commission is in his hands. Once Malami speaks, the account will be unfrozen. They are unfreezing suspects’ accounts, including the big cases.”
However, the EFCC has castigated Mr Idris, a police officer seconded to the commission, describing him as a compromised officer and fifth columnist. Mr Uwujaren’s statement read: “Without prejudice to the outcome of the investigation, snippets of the audio recording clearly showed an abysmally compromised officer dropping names to ingratiate his benefactor, a relative of a crime suspect.
“By the alleged action, the said officer is no more than a corrupt fifth columnist with scant regard for the values of the commission. The action is contemptuous of the established standard operating procedure of the EFCC and such professional indiscretion has no place in the new EFCC.
“The commission encourages citizens who encounter any such unprofessional conduct by personnel of the EFCC to report to the commission in support of our quest to build a better agency. Reporting such conducts has been made easy by the Eagle Eye App, a financial crimes reporting application which was launched earlier in the year,”
Furthermore, the EFCC claimed its operations were guided by established professional precepts, which do not support the kind of discretion that could allow for manipulation by external actors.
