The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Mustapha Magu, yesterday urged Southsouth residents to take advantage of the Whistle-Blower’s Law to report cases of corruption and money laundering in the region.
The EFCC chief said the agency recovered property estimated at over N10 billion from the region in the last two years.
Magu spoke at this year’s annual national anti-corruption walk in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, through the Head of Southsouth, Ishaku Salihu.
The anti-graft chairman said there was need to fight corruption until it is reduced to the lowest level in all sectors, especially when its consequences on recession were biting hard.
He said: “As a body, EFCC has made great marks in the zone. Between May 29, 2015 and till date, it has traced, tracked and recovered assets worth over N10 billion within the period under review.
“Today marks another milestone in our quest as a nation and a people to draw a line to walk against corruption.
“Presently, the Federal Government’s anti-craft agency is prosecuting in court an indigene of the zone over N10 billion belonging to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
“If this stolen fund was injected into the system, it would have gone a long way in changing the landscape of the zone as well as the cry and agitation about underdevelopment and cases of pipeline destruction. Oil theft would have been taken care of.
“We have also apprehended an official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), who collected and shared N23 billion across the country during the last general election. These are funds that would have been used to improve the social and economic conditions of states and communities across the country and their dwellers but were stolen by a few Nigerians.”
Magu recalled some celebrated corruption cases the agency recorded within the period, under his watch.
He said: “It was in this country people converted septic tanks, usually constructed for human waste, into United States dollar volt and water tanks into naira containers.”
Magu urged Nigerians to report every case of corruption to the commission manually or electronically, through social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, among others.
The EFCC chairman stressed that before any report is made, the petitioner must ensure the information is credible and verifiable.
He said: “People should take advantage of the Whistle-Blowing Act to join the fight against corruption and save the country from the ill-activities of corrupt citizens.
“The anti-corruption march is a wake-up call to all Nigerians on the dire consequences of corruption to us and posterity. Basically, the walk is meant to sensitise people on the effects of the twin evil of corruption and money laundering, with a view to getting everybody involved in the fight.”
The march, which was led by the zonal head of the agency, started from the commission’s zonal office on Forces Avenue and passed through the popular Isaac Boro Park and Mile One flyover to the busy Ikwerre Road and other major streets on Azikiwe/Station Road.
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