Economic And Financial Crimes Commission
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is a
Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...
law enforcement agency that investigates financial crimes such as
advance fee fraud An advance-fee scam is a form of fraud and is one of the most common types of confidence tricks. The scam typically involves promising the victim a significant share of a large sum of money, in return for a small up-front payment, which the fraud ...
(419 fraud) and
money laundering Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdictions ...
. The EFCC was established in 2003, partially in response to pressure from the
Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering The Financial Action Task Force (on Money Laundering) (FATF), also known by its French name, ''Groupe d'action financière'' (GAFI), is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop policies to combat mo ...
(FATF), which named Nigeria as one of 23 countries non-cooperative in the international community's efforts to fight money laundering. The agency has its head office in
Abuja Abuja () is the capital and eighth most populous city of Nigeria. Situated at the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is a planned city built mainly in the 1980s based on a master plan by International Plann ...
, Nigeria.


History

Under the previous EFCC chairman
Nuhu Ribadu Mallam Nuhu Ribadu mni (born 21 November, 1960) is a former Nigerian police officer and politician who was the Chairman of the Petroleum Revenue Task Force and a former Nigerian government anti-corruption official. He was the pioneer Executive ...
, the agency has addressed financial
corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...
by prosecuting and convicting a number of high-profile corrupt individuals, ranging from Nigeria's former chief law enforcement officer to several bank chief executives. By 2005, the EFCC arrested government officials including,
Diepreye Alamieyeseigha Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha (DSP) (16 November 1952 – 10 October 2015) was a Nigerian politician who was Governor of Bayelsa State in Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 9 December 2005. Background Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was born on 16 Novem ...
. In September 2006, the EFCC had 31 of Nigeria's 36 state governors under investigation for corruption. In December 2007, the Nigerian Federal Government, after extensive investigations by EFCC and other organisations, cleared the Vaswani brothers of any wrongdoing and invited them back into the country. Leading Nigerian daily "This Day" and other major newspapers reported the facts of their clearance quoting text from FG issued directives. In April 2008, the EFCC began an investigation of the very influential daughter of a former Nigerian President, Senator
Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello Iyabo Obasanjo (born 27 April 1967) is a former Nigerian senator and the daughter of former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo and his wife Oluremi Obasanjo. Early life and education Obasanjo attended Corona School in Victoria Island, L ...
for receiving N10 million ($100,000), stolen from the Ministry of Health. The former Health Minister and her deputy are currently on trial for stealing over N30,000,000 ($300,000) from the ministry's unspent funds from last year. On June 6, 2008, Chief (Mrs) Farida Mzamber Waziri was sworn in as the new chairperson of the EFCC. Then on the 6th of August 2008, the former chairman
Nuhu Ribadu Mallam Nuhu Ribadu mni (born 21 November, 1960) is a former Nigerian police officer and politician who was the Chairman of the Petroleum Revenue Task Force and a former Nigerian government anti-corruption official. He was the pioneer Executive ...
was demoted from Assistant Inspector General (AIG) to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP). On September 14, 2010, the head of the Forensic Unit of the EFCC, Abdullahi Muazu, was assassinated in Kaduna. He had been actively involved in the trials of several heads of banks. Waziri was dismissed by President
Goodluck Jonathan Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (born 20 November 1957)Lawson Heyford, ''The Source'' (Lagos), 11 December 2006. is a Nigerian politician who served as the President of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to fo ...
on 23 November 2011 and replaced by
Ibrahim Lamorde Ibrahim Lamorde (born 20 December 1962) is a Nigerian police officer who was appointed Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on 23 November 2011 after chairman Farida Waziri had been dismissed by President Goodluc ...
as Acting Chairman, who has since been confirmed on the 15 February 2012 by the Nigerian Senate.
Ibrahim Lamorde Ibrahim Lamorde (born 20 December 1962) is a Nigerian police officer who was appointed Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on 23 November 2011 after chairman Farida Waziri had been dismissed by President Goodluc ...
was sacked by President Muhammadu Buhari on November 9, 2015, and replaced with Ibrahim Magu. The Nigerian Senate refused to confirm Magu as chairman of the agency twice due to security reports by law enforcement agencies in the country. On July 6, 2020, Magu was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force and driven to the Presidential Villa where he was made to answer questions on alleged corruption against him. He was detained overnight and on July 7 was suspended from his position as chairman of the agency pending the completion of the investigation. On July 10, 2020, President
Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician and current president of Nigeria since 2015. Buhari is a retired Nigerian Army major general who served as the country's military head of state from 31 December 1983 to 27 Au ...
approved the immediate suspension of Ibrahim Magu as acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a statement issued by the Office of the
Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
of the Federation,
Abubakar Malami Abubakar Malami (born 17 April 1967), is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who since 2015 is serving as Minister for Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation. Background Abubakar Malami, a Fulani Muslim, was born on 17 April 1967 in Bir ...
. President
Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician and current president of Nigeria since 2015. Buhari is a retired Nigerian Army major general who served as the country's military head of state from 31 December 1983 to 27 Au ...
also approved that the EFCC Director of Operations, Mohammed Umar Abba, should take charge and oversee the activities of the Commission pending the conclusion of the ongoing investigation and further directives. On 16 February 2021 Abdulrasheed Bawa was nominated as substantive chairman of EFCC by President Muhammad Buhari.


References


Corruption on Trial?


External links


EFCC Official website

EFCC Alternative Job Portal


Press


Nigeria’s struggle with corruption
presented by the chairman of the EFCC to the US Congressional House Committee on International Development
Banks take a breath of fresh air as FATF gives clean bill of health


{{DEFAULTSORT:Economic And Financial Crimes Commission Law enforcement in Nigeria Government agencies established in 2003 2003 establishments in Nigeria