Senate panel urges EFCC to go after corrupt CBN, NNPC officials

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On Monday, a Senate panel requested that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission investigate officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over alleged racketeering in foreign exchange transactions.

The lawmakers further urged the EFCC to identify owners of mansions in highbrow Abuja communities, alleging that  a number of senior officials in various Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government had become billionaires through corrupt enrichment.

Members of the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes made the call when the Acting Chairman, EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, led the commission’s leadership before the lawmakers for 2017 budget defence.

The lawmakers, while criticising the EFCC for usually going after former public officials, said the anti-graft agency should focus on financial crimes prevention.

A member of the committee, Senator Isa Misau, said since the EFCC was now encouraging whistle-blowers, he wished to blow the whistle on the CBN and the NNPC.

Misau stated, “I can’t imagine the over $9m recovered from a former GMD (of NNPC). If somebody who left (public) office has such money stashed somewhere, then, you can just make a guess about the other people who have been on the seat.

“Therefore, today, I am giving it as a challenge to the EFCC to go and see what the NNPC or CBN or the finance ministry is doing.

“Look at (the case of) somebody, who left office about five years ago. This is an era of whistle-blowing. I am blowing my whistle: go and check CBN. That is the reason why, today, we have (this) recession. Today, dollar, at the parallel market, is N520. And there are allegations against the CBN; the way they give these dollars.

“This committee is challenging the EFCC to go and look at these records: what is our revenue in dollars? Who are the people collecting these dollars?”

Source: PUNCH