The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu has assured the people of Kwara State that a lot more corrupt individuals will be exposed in the state and assets recovered from them.
He made this known on Friday, September 27, 2019 through the Ilorin Zonal Head of the EFCC, Mr Isyaku Sharu who spoke as a guest on Midland 99.1 FM, Radio Kwara, Ilorin, the state capital.
“Very soon, you will see more results, even this morning, I have directed my operatives to go and mark a certain property, traced to politician in the state. Our investigations show that the said politician diverted the state’s money to his personal use,” Magu said.
While assessing the efforts of the Commission in the zone, the EFCC boss disclosed that “The Ilorin Zonal Office of the Commission has secured 27 convictions majorly on offences bordering on internet fraud and other fraud-related offences. Fifteen cases are pending in court while the Commission has recovered N500million (Five Hundred Million Naira) in cash and properties acquired with proceeds of crime by corrupt individuals.”
He further clarified that the prosecutions carried out by the Commission follow international best practices and are neither selective, nor determined by extraneous interference. “We act base on petitions and intelligence gathering. We conduct our preliminary investigations before we invite suspects. This is to ascertain the veracity of the allegations and also determine the level of culpability. We are professionals and the agency will continue to follow the provisions of the laws.”
Magu noted that preventive measures as being deployed by the Commission against the commission of fraud and looting are the best tools in anti-corruption fight.
“When we started our operations in Kwara State in February this year, we paid a courtesy visit to all the stakeholders. We visited the Palace of Emir of Ilorin and other traditional rulers, civil society organisations, students’ union government, National Youth Service Corp members among others.
“The aim of this is to sanitize the system. This is because preventive measures are the best options in fighting corruption. Section 46 of the EFCC Establishment Act captures all the offences that constitute economic and financial crimes which include, bribery, money laundering, piracy, illegal arms dealing and anything that can earn you wealth in a fraudulent means.”
