Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has declared that it has secured 41 convictions in past four months of the year 2019 just as it is changing gear in its operation in the fight against corruption to meet up with the challenges of the advanced way people are engaged in perpetrating corrupt practices.
While addressing a press conference at the Gombe Zonal Office (which covers Gombe, Bauchi, Taraba and Adamawa States) on its activities for the first quarter of the year 2019, North-East Zonal Head of Operations, Michael Wetkas stated that “fighting corruption has just started, meaning that we are changing gear. Fighting corruption has been difficult and herculean but there is no going back on our part.”
The Zonal Head of Operations who reeled out new and trending ways of corrupt activities said that the Commission had so far secured 41 convictions from corruption-related cases as at April 29th with 37 of the convictions secured between January to March 2019.
He further said that the Commission was able to recover over N55.6m (N55, 627,341.18) in cash and drafts with property valued at N18, 800,000 and two cars that are yet to be valued.
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According to the Head of Operations who assumed work in Gombe in January 2019, people must be very careful and vigilant following the advanced ways innocent people are being defrauded adding that the quantum of complaints received by the Zonal Office has been on the increase in recent times stating however that people have forgotten that the function of the EFCC is to investigate corruption offences but not an agency for recovery.
Some of the successes recorded by the EFCC Zonal office within the period under review were the prosecution of eight persons for vote buying during the last general elections. According to him, eight persons, including a Local Government Chairman and two councillors were arrested for vote buying but that as at the time of the briefing, one of the councillors had been convicted.
He said one person was tried and convicted for diverting and selling for personal use, 700 treated mosquito nets meant for pregnant women in Gombe State.
Another prevalent crime going round according to the zonal head is an employment scam where people are being swindled for government appointments. He said government appointments are not for sale and that people must be aware of that.
Other scam that has deprived people of their hard earned money is land scams where fraudsters falsify land documents to obtain their lands. He warned people to engage the services of lawyers and verify before going into land transactions just as he also warned people to be wary of being defrauded through currency counterfeiting, Federal Government’s ancho-borrower programmes among many others.
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