By Sarah Ezeh
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has expanded its operational presence in the South-East with the commissioning of a new Zonal Directorate in Awka, Anambra State.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, commissioned the facility on Friday at Udoka Estate, Awka, with a call on the Anambra and Imo State governments to protect the facility and support the commission in discharging its mandate.
The directorate will serve Anambra and Imo states, strengthening the EFCC’s capacity for intelligence gathering, investigation and prosecution of financial crimes, recovery and protection of public resources, as well as engagement with citizens and businesses.
Representing the president, Abbas said the expansion of the EFCC’s operational network was consistent with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and efforts to strengthen institutions responsible for combating corruption, money laundering and other financial crimes.
He urged the two state governments to provide the necessary support and security for the effective operation of the facility.
The Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, who was the keynote speaker, described the fight against corruption and financial crimes as a collective responsibility.
Soludo said no society could achieve sustainable development where economic and financial crimes were pervasive.
He welcomed the establishment of the directorate, saying its presence in Anambra would bring financial-crime enforcement closer to the people and strengthen prevention at the grassroots.
Recalling his experience with the EFCC while he was Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Soludo said he was invited to explain what he knew about an investigation involving the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company, where he served as Chairman of the Board.
He said he honoured the invitation and later wrote the commission to request the outcome of the investigation after receiving no further communication.
According to Soludo, the EFCC subsequently informed him that the investigation had found no evidence against him, describing the response as a demonstration of professionalism.
He said the experience reinforced his belief in the importance of agencies communicating investigation outcomes to people who had been invited for questioning, particularly where no wrongdoing was established.
“We are committed to the rule of law and the fight against economic and financial crimes, and we are going further by incorporating aspects of the anti-corruption effort into our own systems,” Soludo said.
He said the state government was strengthening whistleblowing mechanisms and establishing channels through which suspected wrongdoing could be reported, stressing that governments should not wait for federal agencies to identify financial misconduct.
EFCC Chairman, Mr Ola Olukoyede, said the Awka directorate would expand the commission’s operational capacity, access to justice and collaboration with the public in Anambra, Imo and the wider South-East.
Olukoyede said the facility would help protect legitimate economic activities from fraud, cybercrime, money laundering, diversion of public resources and other financial crimes.
He disclosed that more than 60 per cent of the commission’s processes had been digitised, while the EFCC received 49,615 petitions between October 2023 and July 2024, investigated 39,632 cases, filed 14,436 cases in court and secured 10,872 convictions during the period.
The EFCC chairman said the commission was also placing greater emphasis on prevention, including monitoring Federation Account Allocation Committee, FAAC, releases to identify vulnerabilities and protect public funds from diversion.
He called on citizens, traditional rulers and other stakeholders to support whistleblowing and remain vigilant over public resources, assuring legitimate businesses and residents that EFCC officers would operate within the law.
Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, commended the Federal Government for expanding the EFCC’s operational capacity and pledged his administration’s cooperation in tackling financial crimes and protecting public resources.
The Chairman of the Anambra State Traditional Rulers’ Council, Igwe Chidubem Iweka, called for greater emphasis on preventive measures, including anti-corruption education in primary schools and traditional oaths of office for public officials.
The Senate Committee Chairman on Financial Crimes, Senator Emmanuel Udende, and his House of Representatives counterpart, Hon. Ginger Obinna Onwusibe, also reaffirmed the National Assembly’s support for the commission.
The Awka directorate is expected to strengthen financial-crime prevention, investigation and enforcement across Anambra, Imo and the wider South-East.
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