- Ibrahim Magu
Acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, yesterday, said the commission has secured 140 convictions in the past six months.
‘‘In just six months of this year, we have secured over 140 convictions, including some elusive ‘high profile’ criminals. We have recovered billions of dollars worth of stolen funds and blocked numerous avenues of money laundering,’’ he said.
The EFCC boss also charged Nigerians to imbibe the culture of ‘ living with clean hands’ as a way of stamping out corruption from the society.
Magu, who stated that the job of EFCC entails confronting looters of the nation’s commonwealth, said the commission had been reshaping the face of law enforcement in Nigeria in the past 13 years.
In his welcome address entitled, ‘‘We Must Win The War on Corruption and Impunity’’ during the launch of EFCC Clean Hands Campaign yesterday at the Eagle Square, Abuja, the anti-graft Czar added that the commission had kept faith with its mandate and the expectations of Nigerians.
He also stated that the commission had given its prevention mandate a new lease of life, adding that people were now fully informed of its activities on all communication channels. According to him, the new strategies being employed by EFCC had enabled Nigerians to take direct ownership of the war on corruption.
‘‘Citizens are now more disposed to preemptively act against corruption; and where the act has been committed, they are willing to work with EFCC to fish out the criminals.”
Magu also urged Nigerians to continue to mount ‘‘due pressure’’ on the commission to carry out diligent investigation and prosecution and to inform the people of its activities.
He, however, charged Nigerians to also take more seriously their watchdog role over the members of the National Assembly, so as to make them more alive to their responsibilities to pass laws that are adequate and functional.
In her address, the Co-founder of the Transparency International and Co-convener of the Bring Back Our Girls Campaign, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, urged every Nigerian to be involved in the fight against corruption.
