…Public warned against impersonators, blackmailers
By Newsmata
In the outgone year 2024, 27 officers caught in fraudulent activities and professional misconduct were kicked out of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The antigraft agency viewed this as a significant move to uphold internal integrity and demonstrate its zero tolerance for corruption.
Newsmata reports that the EFCC’s Staff Disciplinary Committee recommended the dismissals and approved by the Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, according to a statement on Monday by Dele Oyewale, the Commission’s spokesman.Assuring that no officer was exempt from disciplinary measures, the EFCC said a recent $400,000 claim involving an unidentified individual posing as an EFCC staff member against a sectional head would be thoroughly probed.
“Olukoyede reiterated that the Commission’s core values remained inviolable and were upheld rigorously”, the statement said.
The EFCC also warned the public against the activities of impersonators and blackmailers exploiting the name of its Executive Chairman to extort money from high-profile individuals under investigation.
“Two members of such a syndicate, identified as Ojobo Joshua and Aliyu Hashim, were recently arraigned before Justice Jude Onwuebuzie of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja. They allegedly contacted a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Mr. Mohammed Bello-Koko, demanding $1 million in exchange for a purported “soft landing” from Olukoyede concerning a non-existent investigation”, Oyewale disclosed.
The EFCC therefore warned that similar fraudulent actors remained at large and urged the public to report “any such disreputable elements” to the Commission.
“Furthermore, the Commission is aware of attempts to blackmail its officers through unethical means, particularly by suspects under investigation for economic and financial crimes who have failed to compromise their investigators.
“The EFCC advises the public to disregard such blackmailers and not to accord them any attention. These developments underscore the EFCC’s dedication to maintaining ethical standards within its ranks and its proactive stance against corruption and impersonation schemes targeting both its officials and the public”, the statement concluded.