The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has described investment, Business Email Compromise (BEC), forex scams, as well as land and property fraud as some of the most prevalent financial and economic crimes in the Lagos zonal command of the Commission.
The acting Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Abdulkarim Chukkol, disclosed this at a one-day workshop on financial crime reporting in Lagos.
Chukkol, who was represented by the Zonal Commander, Michael Wetkas, noted that the Commission had received a total of 512,876 petitions related to investment and forex scams in Lagos alone.
These scams, he said, involved a combined sum of N317.9 billion and $3.2 million, along with currencies such as euros and pounds.
“While investigations are ongoing, the EFCC has already made substantial recoveries, amounting to billions of naira and millions of other currencies,” he said.
Wetkas expressed concerns about the vulnerability of citizens to these scams.
“The Commission’s enforcement activities are directed at the perpetrators of these crimes, but we are worried about the ease with which citizens fall prey to the wiles of the scammers.
Their folly is energised by the desperation to get rich quickly,” Wetkas stated.
He further emphasised the media’s crucial role in this regard, urging them to help educate the public about being cautious when considering investment opportunities that appear too good to be true.
“We owe our nation and the entire world an obligation of exposing every criminal act through our reporting,” he said.
Speaking on a topic, ‘Understanding the new money laundering laws in relation to activities of designated non-financial businesses and professions’, Larry Peters Aso of the EFCC, warned Nigerians against money laundering and cybercrime.
He noted that the commission is trying its best to curb crimes in the society.
Explaining the money laundering (prevention and prohibition) Act 2022, Aso said the Act provides a comprehensive legal and institutional framework for the prevention and prohibition of money laundering in Nigeria and establishes the Special Control Unit under the EFCC.
He urged Nigerians to report any dubious act to the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering.
Also, Dele Oyewale, who is also of the EFCC, while speaking on the topic ‘Investigative Journalism and Nigeria’s fight against money laundering’ tasked journalists to be passionate and have a drive for it.
The spokesman for the Commission, Mr Wilson Uwujaren said EFCC focus has shifted, not only from enforcement, but also to crime prevention.
He noted that the essence of the workshop was to enable journalists covering the commission to key into the fight against economic and financial crimes and to update them of the Commission’s activities.
