EFCC Press Release
The Chairman of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim
Lamorde has delivered on his promise to re- professionalise the anti-graft
agency in its fight
against economic and financial crimes in the country. This
assertion was made today by Wilson Uwujaren, head, media and publicity of the
Commission during a media briefing with
journalists. Uwujaren stated that Lamorde’s promise to tackle issues of
integrity and professionalism in the Commission has been accomplished with the
acquisition of Polygraph machine and training
of personnel to manage it.
“One of the strategies
which he promised to deploy in tackling the issue of integrity was the
introduction of polygraph test for officers and new employees. As we speak, the
Commission now has state-of-the-art polygraph equipment with a crop of
polygraph examiners trained at the
American International Institute of Polygraph in Atlanta,
Georgia, United State.”
He added: “New and old staff of the
Commission are now regularly subjected to polygraph test in a determined effort
to ensure that they do not deviate from the core values of the Commission,
which are courage, professionalism and integrity.”
According to him, the acquisitions
of the Polygraph equipment and examiners have made the Commission the only law
enforcement agency in entire West Africa with
such competence.
Uwujaren also highlighted
some of the efforts of the Commission in the fight against economic and
financial crimes in the country. According
to him, the Commission is unrelenting in dealing with oil theft as more persons
have been arrested, prosecuted and convicted. “A few months ago, two Indians,
Sailesh Kumor Singh, Chadrashekar Sharma were jailed after successful prosecution
by the Commission. The duo were among 12 suspected oil thieves arrested in
Brass, Bayelsa State in 2012 by the JTF with 157,822
litres of suspected stolen crude oil.” The
two Indians bagged 15 years jail term. Beside that, a total of 71 persons have
been convicted for oil theft which include 45 Nigerians, 10 Ghanaians, 13
Pilipinos, three Indians, two Togolese, one Camerounian and one Myanmar.
In the ongoing oil subsidy
cases, Uwujaren stated that one of the major kingpins, Seun Ogunbambo, managing
director of Fargo Energy Limited who was docked for allegedly stealing N4.5
billion in bogus subsidy claims has absconded and disappeared from the shores
of Nigeria and has consequently been declared wanted. Also, one Azmat Mahmood, a German citizen of
Pakistani extraction has also been declared wanted after allegedly using his
company Nimex Petroleum Limited to defraud the federal government of over N1.3
billion in a bogus subsidy deal. However,
he noted, the Commission has so far recovered over $5 billion from persons
implicated in subsidy scam while prosecution of over 40 persons continue in
courts across the country.
Significantly, Uwujaren
bemoaned the growing incidence of impersonation of EFCC officials by fraudsters;
a situation which he says has created the erroneous impression of corruption
among EFCC personnel. However, he expressed his delight with the recent arrest
of one Olubunmo Olalekan, who paraded himself as Principal Detective
Superintendent of the EFCC. He explained that the suspect has couriered over
sixty letters to different top officials of ministries, department and agencies
of government under the pretence that there was a petition against them, and
that he could help them destroy the case if they play ball. At the time of arrest,
over the suspect was found with fake letter head papers, 30 GSM sim cards,
assorted complimentary cards, a laptop computer and printer from where he
churns out the fraudulent letters. He said the suspect will soon be arraigned
in court.
Wilson Uwujaren
Head,
Media & Publicity
5th
November, 2014
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