‎EFCC IS NOT APPENDAGE OF POLICE, SAYS SPOKESMAN

Omooba Risawe

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has make clarification that, it was not  established as an appendage of Nigeria Police, as being insinuated in many quarters.

The Commission’s Head, Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren threw air on this, while featuring on live programme,’Podium’ of Sweet F.M Radio Station in Abeokuta.

He explained that,the anti-graft agency which wasestablished in 2003 by the then administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo was essentially  mandated to fight all economic and financial crimes in the country.

He added that, the Act that established the commission set out a number of laws that the EFCC is saddled with the responsibility of enforcement, stressing that some of those laws include the EFCC Act itself, the Money Laundry Act, the Advance Free-Fraud Act, the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Financial Institution Act and a number of other laws.

Uwajeran boasted that, in over thirteen years of existence, the commission has been diligent in the enforcement of those laws.

‘The EFCC is an independent law enforcement agency that is not subservient to any other organization. Yes we have officials of the Nigerian Police that are working with us but that does not subject the EFCC to the dictate of the police’, he said.

‘We don’t take directive from the police, it is a separate agency different from the police. But like any law enforcement agency, you have collaboration and cooperation with other enforcement agency in the country and outside Nigeria’.

‘And that is expected because criminality is the age that we are in. A single agency may not have all resources that it need to conclusively fight all crimes, you need to also relate with others, when you don’t have enough strength you borrow from those who have the strength to achieve the purpose for which you are established’.

‎ Uwajeren emphasised that, EFCC remained an independent agency, just as he also noted that, the Independent Corrupt Practice Commission, ICPC, was established for different purposes aimed to fight corruption in the public sector.

‘ EFCC is established specifically to deal with all economic and financial crimes in the country. And that is pretty wide and demanding. In our few years of existence we have done jobs as we are supposed to be doing and we don’t see any conflict reactions’

He, however, posited that, the commission was not against establishing more agency to join in fighting crimes, stressing that, the high rate of crimes in the country required more hands.

‘And if you ask me, the country needs even more agencies to fight the kind of crimes I’m seeing in this country, I think the more the merrier. There is no issue of conflict’, he posited.

On prolonged  prosecution of cases, he admitted but quickly added that, such should not be attributed to the commission, but judiciary.

‘Well there are prosecution being stall in the judiciary system and I would admit that but you also must appreciate the fact that we are being assisted to see that all cases we take to court are prosecuted’.

‘The people that we took to court especially these politically exposed persons have this penchant of wanting to dragging cases in court, they are not there to get justice, they simply want to stretch the process and ensure that all manner so that we can even go up to the Supreme Court’.

‎He debunked speculations that, most of the  commission’s cases are regarded as media trial, stressing that, expectations of many Nigerians was to update them on whatever, the agency was doing, and which it has been doing

‘I don’t know what you mean by media trial. I’m talking on radio now will you also consider this to be part of the media trial? I think Nigerians have the value expectations of some commissions to update them on whatever we are doing and as much as possible we will do our bit by’

‘informing them where there is need to inform of atrocities that were either investigating or putting some people in court, and that is done all over the world. We have not spoken concerning anybody that has no reason to come to the EFCC on the pages of newspaper’.

‘ But you know that in this environment people are always looking for evidence to paint the commission bad when there is no reason for that. If you have a case with the commission, it is incumbent on the commission to say yes we are doing something about such a case that we have and I don’t see anything as media trial’.

‎He also admitted that, the agency has challenges, and just like any other organisations, but pointed out that such challenges have not being allowed to consumed it.

‘We have our own challenge. There is no organization that does not have challenge but we are not consumed by any of those challenges. We are managing the challenges that we have. You talked about trials in court, I think that is part of the challenges that we have, and also talk of resources, we don’t have enough in terms of manpower; we are also challenge in that experience’.

‘We are a very small agency compare to others and we are supposed to police a nation of over 170 million people. In terms of workforce we are less than 3,000. So we need more understanding, more funding, even though government has been doing it best in terms of funding the commission’.