Senate on Monday mandated the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) to beam its searchlight on the Central Bank of Nigeria
(CBN) the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and
Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) over what it described as
massive racketeering of foreign exchange and looting of public funds.
The upper chamber also asked the anti-graft agency to search and
identify owners of mansions in highbrow areas of Asokoro and Maitama in
the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The lawmakers claimed that it has been established that several
senior officials including directors and permanent secretaries in the
MDAs become overnight billionaires by corruptly enriching themselves in
public office.
They contended that such corrupt officials hide their loots in
building mansions in highbrow areas of the country including Abuja,
Lagos and Port Harcourt.
The Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes stated
these when the Acting Chairman of EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, appeared
before the committee to defend the commission’s 2017 budget.
Magu led other members of the commission’s leadership to the 2017 budget defence.
Members of the committee, who frowned at the EFCC for always going
after former public officials, asked the commission to focus more on
financial crimes prevention rather than chasing after officials when
crimes had been committed.
No comments: