The EFCC has warned Nigerians of an increase in the circulation of counterfeit dollars and cybercrime in Benue State and has taken steps to address the issue.
On Thursday, the EFCC Acting Chairman, Mr. Abubakar Musa Bello, addressed a workshop on Effective Reporting of Economic and Financial Crimes, which was attended by 30 journalists from leading media organisations in Nigeria.
Bello stated that the primary objective of the EFCC is to reduce corruption to a minimum and that the agency will continue to carry out its duties in an efficient and professional manner.
Bello added that the commission’s enforcement activities have resulted in recoveries of substantial sums of money and that the country’s Anti-Money Laundering framework has been strengthened.
Bello further stated that there is now more stringent regulation of entities that are susceptible to money laundering, and urged people to be mindful of their bank details in order to prevent them from being used in illegal financial transactions.
The Chief Executive of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Peter Chukkul, urged the media to inform members of the public, including members of the family, friends, political appointees and others, that they could face criminal charges if they allowed their companies or banks to be used for the laundering of proceeds of unlawful activities.
He noted that, in line with the new Money Laundering Law, members of the family and close associates of politicians and other public office holders, including senior civil servants, were now considered politically exposed persons under the new law.
Mr. Chukkul said that the EFCC is committed to bringing to justice those who steal public funds and those who support them under any pretext and that lack of knowledge of the law would not be tolerated.
The Chief Executive said that the highest number of convictions recorded by the EFCC in 2022 was 3,785.
