EFCC secures 2,220 convictions without heavy treasury looters
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
A total 2,220 convictions were secured by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2021, the highest recorded in a year since former President Olusegun established the outfit in 2003 to bust Nigeria’s endemic disease.
However, the convictions are of low and middle rank financial crime perpetrated by fraudsters who soil citizen’s image at home and export the stench across the world.
The EFCC announced on its Facebook page that Lagos zonal command had the highest convictions of 481 followed by Ibadan command (324), and Port Harcourt Zonal command (230). Makurdi zonal command had the least convictions with 22.
Kudos to new anti-graft Czar Abdulrasheed Bawa. He has since assumption of office on February 24, 2021 ramped up the activities of the EFCC. But those convicted are mainly small thieves, big time looters of national wealth still act with impunity.
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Big robbers of national wealth
Bawa himself announced on December 12 last year that a Governor in one of the North Central states – of Nasarawa, Niger, Kwara, Kogi, Benue, Plateau – withdrew over N60 billion in cash from state coffers in the past six years.
One single Governor has been stealing over N10 billion each year for six years from the treasury of a state in one of the poorest regions of Nigeria.
Many treasury looters were named in the Pandora Papers published by PREMIUM TIMES last year in collaboration with global media outlets.
The EFCC has not prosecuted these criminals and most others before them.
Not to talk of billions of naira the federal Auditor General found missing in several Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDA) – including N3.14 billion in the Finance Ministry headed by Zainab Ahmed the tax announcer.
Allegations of corruption are swirling around Malami, Muhammadu Buhari’s chief law officer who is supposed to prosecute law breakers.
The Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) has publicly accused him of “working for contractors” to take his cut.
Malami in November 2021 withdrew from the EFCC the case file of Senator Stella Oduah (APC, Anambra North) and others over alleged N7.9 billion corruption after she and her co-defendants petitioned Malami claiming they were being persecuted.
Nothing has been heard of the case ever since.
Oduah defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the APC in August last year. She is also named in the Pandora Papers in another corruption allegation.
Bawa commends officers
Bawa commended his officers for their dedication to duty despite the challenges of criminal prosecution in court, per reporting by Nairametrics
He said the EFCC will do more in motivating staff through incentives and capacity development to improve on performance.
The record 2,220 convictions, a 127.5 per cent rise compared with 2019, is 98.49 per cent success rate of prosecution. Only 34 cases were lost by the EFCC in 2021.
The highest conviction secured by the EFCC in the past was in 2019 with a total 1,280.
