‘Be Ahead Of Fraudsters To Tackle Economic And Financial Crimes’ – EFCC Tells Operatives

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede has called on corruption fighters in Nigeria to always strive to be ahead of fraudsters in intelligence.

According to Olukoyede in order to tackle the menace of economic and financial crimes and other acts of corruption, corruption fighters must be focused, think ahead and be strategic.

He made the call on Thursday when he received the representatives of the The Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) at the EFCC headquarters in Jabi, Abuja.

Olukoyede explained that fraudulent schemes and fraudsters across the world have become dynamic, especially with the advances in technology.

He therefore advised that in order to tackle them, corruption fighters must be more dynamic and resourceful.

He said: “You must be ahead of the corrupt in every way. The world has gone digital and dynamic. So, corruption fighters should hone their skills at all times and not rest on their oars.”

He commended RoLAC for its consistency and commitment to the cause of fighting corruption, stressing that the EFCC would always collaborate with it in entrenching transparency and sound justice delivery in the anti-corruption corridor.

Meanwhile, Mr. Danladi Plang, RoLAC’s Head of Programme and Dr. Emmanuel Uche, Programme Manager on Anti-Corruption, explained that the European Union, EU expressed satisfaction with all the programmes RoLAC had with the EFCC.

According to Plang, the EU- funded projects through RoLAC are in the second phase of implementation.

He noted that the first phase ended successfully in March 2023, with EFCC as one of its core beneficiaries, adding that the project earned the EFCC development of E-achieve, Strategic Plan and support for capacity building in investigation and prosecution.

He said: “Phase two of our program commenced in June this year, so we are here to introduce ourselves and seek your support, as well as to get your priority areas where you think we can be of help, because even the EU has recognized that our partnership with you has yielded great impact.

“So, this time we hope that we will enjoy more of that because we are looking towards building the capacity of the Commission’s investigators, prosecutors, including the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering, SCUML, the Academy and of course your operatives.”