The Economic Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) was established by administering the former president of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. Having seen the level of corruption and immunity shown by public servants such as Federal ministers, governors, lawmakers alongside contractors in Nigeria, he felt the commission was necessary to bring sanity to public office.
The commission was established in 2003 and had Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as its first chairman. He was an assistant commissioner of police at the time. Conversely, every other chairman of the commission has come from the Police Service Commission. Since its establishment, the commission has built a reputation for checkmating the behaviour of public servants in Nigeria.
Many Nigerians think the EFCC is only meant to fight corruption by public servants. Although their primary aim is to fight corruption, they can do more than that. In this post, we shall look at other functions of the commission to shed more light on its functions.
Functions of EFCC
Corruption has and still is the main reason for the lack of development in Nigeria. Most countries have specific commissions set up to tackle corruption by the public and private sectors. In Nigeria, the EFCC was created to do just that.
The commission is mandated to investigate all crimes in loving finances such as money fraud, false banking, money laundering, etc. Also, it doesn’t matter when the said crime took place because they can investigate old crimes.
The organization’s central department is the Operations Department. The primary function of this department include,
- Bank fraud cases, investigation, and prosecution.
- Economic governance through Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.
- General investigations
- Investigation, arrest, and prosecution of advance-fee scam perpetrators.
- Investigation of terrorism financing.
- Fighting cybercrime or internet fraud.
How to report a case to the EFCC
Although we know it is nearly impossible to eliminate corruption, the commission is as best as it can give the number of redundant laws existing in the country. Hence, the difference we are seeing between Nigeria before the establishment of EFCC and now.
There are many ways of reporting a person to the EFCC. First, you can reach out to the Department of Internal Affairs. You can search for that information online, or from their official website.
The department will provide you with basic information about how to report someone to EFCC. However, it is better to write a petition and send it to the commission.
We shall look at guidelines you need to follow to write a petition to the Executive Chairman of the commission.
First, all petitions should be addressed to the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Second, provide as much information as possible. It is necessary to disclose as much information as possible.
Furthermore, you should provide evidence to support your claim. A petition to the commission is a serious issue that can’t be taken likely. If you send a petition about an actual fraudulent act, it is essential to give all the necessary information.
The evidence you can include in the petition are photos, documents, receipts, numbers, etc. You should remember that petition without evidence won’t get proper attention.
Hence, if you send a petition without evidence, you will not only waste your time but get into trouble with the law. Further, you can be sued by the person you wrote the petition about. Finally, you can submit your petition.
Never forget to sign and add the date when you are about to transfer the petition. That is how the EFCC will know the petition. If you don’t know how to write reports, you can hire a lawyer.
Author
Abbey Johnson has a Masters degree as an engineer and has over 3 years of teaching and research experience. He is happiest when on a bike and is also interested in electric energy and computer Science.