The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has hinted that the commission has built a Cyber Crime Research Centre to tame internet fraud.

This comes as legal practitioner John Baiyeshea (SAN) recommended serious legislation as punishment for people caught stealing Nigeria’s commonwealth.
He urged the country’s legal system to wake up to its responsibility of applying appropriate sanctions against corrupt leaders.

Speaking at a town hall meeting themed “Uniting the Youths Against Corruption: Shaping Tomorrow’s Integrity,” organized by the Ilorin zonal directorate of the EFCC to mark this year’s International Anti-Corruption Day in Ilorin, Olukoyede, through the zonal director, Harry Erin, said that his agency had initiated many measures to educate and engage young people against cybercrime.

The EFCC boss, who said that there is a compelling need for young people to close ranks and confront corruption, advised them to see a better future ahead by opting for integrity.
“As we always say, taking shortcuts always cuts people short. Reject the shortcut of corruption and your future will be established,” he said.

According to him, corruption affects every age group, biting harder against the prospects and possibilities of youth.

“This makes it more binding on young people to tackle it more fiercely than any other age group. Every young person needs an equal opportunity for self-expression. But this is impossible in societies where favouritism, nepotism, partisan, and other extraneous considerations tilt opportunities in favour of a few privileged people. This is not good for the youths, and it is for this reason that they need to forge a united front against corruption,” he said.

He hinted that some of the routes that can be taken by youths to achieve unity in the fight against corruption are deliberate synergy against graft.

“You can do this by forming associations, clubs, think tanks, and societies that promote good values. It is high time youths joined hands together to pursue values that will add strength to their lives.”

“Youths can also unite against corruption by exposing tendencies and actions that run counter to accountability and right values in their neighbourhoods. This is simply a whistleblowing opportunity for youths. There is no way corruption can be tackled if we allow it around us without a challenge. Youths have formidable roles to play in this regard,” he said.

The keynote speaker, legal practitioner John Baiyeshea (SAN), recommended serious legislation as punishment for people caught stealing Nigeria’s commonwealth.
He urged the country’s legal system to wake up to its responsibility of applying appropriate sanctions against corrupt leaders.

Going spiritual, the legal icon charged religious leaders in the country to correctively decree God’s judgment on corrupt leaders.

“I urge pastors and Imams to collectively decree God’s judgment on corrupt people. They should remind God of His words in the scriptures against people stealing our collective patrimony,” he said.

Baiyeshea also recommended the death penalty for people found to have corruptly enriched themselves with the country’s patrimony.

“Corruption is the greatest industry in Nigeria, and it has led to economic collapse. That is why there is poverty and hunger in a land that God has blessed.

“We export corruption because the money that our people steal in billions of dollars resides in those countries, and it is cheap money in their systems. Something is fundamentally wrong with our system.

“Those corrupt people are stronger than our legal system. They are stronger than our law enforcement agencies.

“That is why I recommend the death sentence as punishment against treasury looters. In Hong Kong, Singapore, China, and North Korea, punishing treasury looters is a death sentence. We should not be afraid to sentence to death those stealing our money.

“The wealth of the country, with over 200 million people, is in the hands of about 2,000 people, according to a study. This is the only country where we hero-worship corrupt people.

“If the forefathers of America and Europe had stolen their countries’ money, where would our children be running to now?” he asked rhetorically.