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The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) has provided the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with an Application to enhance intelligence sharing in the tracking of organised crime, such as money laundering and terrorism-financing.
The App comprises a database to be supervised by the National Central Bureau (NCB), an interface between Interpol and national law enforcement agencies of countries through the I-24/7 Gemini Project, a global police communications system.
Within the commission, the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) department will manage the App.
Elated acting chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, witnessed the demonstration of the new App at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
Interpol’s Project Officer, Noha Amer, who led the delegation of the global police to the commission, disclosed that the United States was funding the project in Nigeria, Niger, Mali and Libya to detect and interdict stolen and illicit funds by organised criminals, mainly in the area of terrorism-financing, as it happened in Libya.
Also, the EFCC in Kaduna has arraigned one Joseph Anthony before Justice Mallong Hoommuk of the Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna, for alleged N50 million fraud.
Anthony’s journey to the dock began when the EFCC received a petition alleging that he was luring members of the public to invest in Bitcoin through a platform called Bitworld Centre. He promised them good returns on investment.
Defence counsel, Chiedu Gwam, informed the court that he was not ready for the commencement of trial and pleaded with the court to grant his client bail.
Justice Hoommuk, however, adjourned the case till May 13, 2019 for hearing of the bail application and commencement of trial, and ordered that the defendant be remanded in prison custody.
However, Magu has charged in-coming and returning governors to shun corruption in their dealings.
The anti-crime czar gave the charge yesterday at the induction ceremony for the governors-elect and their returning colleagues at the State House, Abuja.
Magu, who was among the panelists at the event, stated that the twin evils of corruption and terrorism financing, which had continued to bedevil the country, created a disastrous impact on governance and socio-economic advancement.
In the same vein, he has warned banks to ensure a proper monitoring of their staff, to stem the increasing tide of insider abuse and compromise of confidentiality.
The EFCC boss, who stated this in Gombe while interacting with regional compliance officers of commercial banks, reminded the bankers that they are critical stakeholders in EFCC’s operations.
Represented by the Gombe zonal head of the commission, Michael Wetkas, he noted that it was for the banks that the EFCC Establishment Act 2004 reserved some sections for financial institutions.