The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, on Saturday called on Compliance Officers of banks across the country to desist from unauthorised disclosure of EFCC’s investigation activities and request from banks to their customers.
Olukoyede, in a statement issued in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, by EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, decried the unhealthy support fraudsters received from the banking sector in Nigeria.
Oyewale stressed that it is posing considerable challenges and concerns to the commission.
The EFCC chairman made this call through the Acting Zonal Director of the Ibadan Zonal Command of the agency, Hauwa Garba Ringim during a stakeholders’ meeting with Compliance Officers of Banks in Oyo State.
He said: “The EFCC is aware of the fact that compliance officers give information to their clients regarding “letters of investigation activities” written to the banks from the EFCC.
“The act usually jeopardises the investigation exercise of financial crimes and delays corruption cases from being filed before the law court.”
Olukoyede also urged them to always respond to letters received from the commission with certified true copies, including instruments of transactions of beneficiaries or sources, as this will expedite the processes of investigation to a logical conclusion.
The EFCC boss said illegal dealings and trading in naira with the Point-of-sale operators must stop.
“What we notice and see around lately is that Nigerians can only withdraw a small amount of their money with the banks in Automated Teller Machine but POS operators go around with huge amounts of money gotten from the banks. This is not fair to Nigerians and we must fight it head-on,” he added.
He, however, assured the compliance officers of the commission’s support at all times, as “they remain relevant stakeholders in the fight against economic and financial crimes.”
Wale Igbintade
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