By John Chuks Azu 


The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami （SAN) has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of frustrating the anti-graft war.


In a statement on Wednesday, the spokesman of the AGF, Salihu Othman, alleged that Magu and the EFCC leadership had “manipulated and misused intelligence to the detriment of the fight against corruption and financial crime in Nigeria”.



The statement followed the non-lifting of the country’s suspension by  the global financial intelligence gathering body, Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units (Egmont Group), and ensure the country’s formal expulsion.


The Egmont Group comprises 156 financial intelligence units (FIUs) representing 156 countries.

Part of the statement reads: “The EFCC is now in a state of paranoia, as it dreads the effort of the government to have an independent NFIU, which it has stood against stoically since 2006.


Part of the statement reads: “The EFCC is now in a state of paranoia, as it dreads the effort of the government to have an independent NFIU, which it has stood against stoically since 2006.


“As it presently stands, the NFIU staff are all deployed by the EFCC to serve in the interest of whoever is its current Chairman. This has to stop if it must conform to the new thinking and global best practice. Nigeria cannot be an island of its own. It cannot fight corruption in isolation.


“The threat of expulsion from the Egmont Group calls for a thorough review of the NFIU and the manner in which the EFCC leadership has manipulated and misused intelligence to the detriment of the fight against corruption and financial crime in Nigeria.


“To achieve the desired goal, NFIU needs to stand alone as an agency with full complements of power to recruit its staff and an annual budgetary allocation guaranteed for its operations.


“Its independence must be ascertained in the new law to set up Nigerian Financial Intelligence Agency (NFIA) to enable it carry out its mandate, which shall include responsibilities for receiving, requesting, analysing and disseminating financial intelligence reports on money laundering, terrorist financing and other relevant information to law enforcement, security and intelligence agencies, and other relevant authorities.


“As a result of the new occurrences in global circle, it is pertinent that the EFCC cannot continue to be dogmatic on its stand. It can’t shy away from the needful. The current reality is that Nigeria must not remain a pariah in the anti-corruption space. This is very germane at this point.”

lalasticlala

AtkinsPlanet:
Where is this country heading to?