The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), yesterday, said it lost only 41 cases, representing 1.07 per cent to suspects in 2022 in the anti-graft war.

The commission, however, said it recorded 98.93 per cent success rate in prosecution of suspects within the period. EFCC Chairman, Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, made the disclosure in Benin City during a one-day training on effective reporting of Economic and Financial Crimes for journalists in Edo State.

Bawa represented by the Zonal Commander of the Benin Zonal Office, Kanu Idagu, added that the commission secured 3,785 convictions in 2022, representing a 70.5 per cent improvement over its record for 2021, which was 2,220 convictions.

The EFCC boss also revealed that conviction figures from economic and financial crime prosecutions in 2023 are already rising across the various commands of the commission.

While describing the feat as significant, not only for the commission, he noted that it was also for the entire nation, as conviction figures are indications of the effectiveness of the war against graft.

Declaring the workshop open, he explained that the event was one of the modest efforts of the commission to build synergy and strengthen media understanding and appreciation of the work of the commission.

He posited that the workshop in Benin City was a continuation of a series that began a few years ago, adding that four of such were held in some zonal commands and the headquarters in 2022.

According to him, over the years, the media has been one of the commission’s most critical stakeholders in the fight against corruption.

“Let me use this opportunity to commend the professional and patriotic efforts of the Fourth Estate of the Realm in beaming searchlights not only on the works of the EFCC, but on all shades of economic and financial crimes.

The robust reporting of the activities of the commission has been quite helpful”, he said. Bawa assured that the agency remained committed to its mandate of tackling all forms of economic and financial crimes across the country. He urged the media to up their ante in the area of investigative reporting as an important allies in the anti-graft war.

Bawa also urged the media to offer the leads into uncharted areas where economic and financial crimes may be taking place.

He enlightened the trainees that the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022 has become a new mechanism for the fight against money laundering practices in the country.

“This, and the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022 were fresh legal armaments against illicit financial flows. “Nigerians need to be more informed about these important legislation; hence the workshop to crave the indulgence of pen pushers to step up active reporting of these laws,” he stated.

(Text, excluding headline: The Guardian)

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