The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has announced the launch of its mobile appilication, Eagle Eye, for members of the public to report corruption in Nigeria.
This was announced by the Executive Chairman of the Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, during a press conference at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja.
According to Bawa, the application was designed to complement existing channels of reporting crimes.
Bawa said a unique advantage of the application was the elimination of a direct person-to-person interface in the reporting process, thereby guaranteeing anonymity and “an added incentive for effective whistleblowing”.
According to the EFCC chairman, the initiative is a clear demonstration of his pledge on the assumption of office, to run a technology-driven agency. “The Eagle Eye represents a new experience in information sharing and crime reporting between the public and the EFCC,” he said.
He appealed to members of the public to take advantage of the app in bringing cases of corruption and economic crimes to the knowledge of the EFCC.
He said, “With the App, those who hitherto were afraid to report corruption cases to the Commission either for fear of being identified by the culprits or having their identities revealed, can now do so with the assurance of full anonymity.”
He emphasized that the Eagle Eye App would go a long way in aiding the reportage of fraudulent activities of individuals, particularly in the case of money laundering through real estate.
“With the Eagle Eye, Nigerians and Non-Nigerians can easily take a picture of a property suspected to have been fraudulently or corruptly acquired and report through the App seamlessly,” he said.
He also said that as media practitioners, journalists occupy vantage positions not only in helping to bring the knowledge of the application to the public, but also making use of it and helping others to understand how it could be deployed to further the fight against economic crimes including corruption.
“With the Eagle Eye, you have at your fingertips a device that will ultimately ensure that there is no hiding place for the corrupt in Nigeria,” he further explained.
On how it works, the EFCC Chairman said, Eagle Eye is a user-friendly application, with features that can be navigated by any literate person. The first step, he said, is to download it to a device from either the Apple or Google play store.
He also noted that those who want to key into the Whistle Blowing Policy of the Federal Government can obtain a reward for reporting corruption.
Bawa said such persons should indicate in the information they are providing; just as he said that there are penalties stipulated in the laws, for giving false information that could mislead the commission.
