BEVERLY HILLS, March 19, (THEWILL) – The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has expressed concerns about the activities of supposed whistleblowers misleading the agency through fake allegations.
The Chairman of the Commission, Abdurasheed Bawa, said despite due diligence by the EFCC, scarce investigative resources have been wasted by the agency in following up false leads that frequently led to dead ends.
He said the activities of false whistleblowers detracted from the noble intention of the Whistleblower Policy of the Federal Government seeking to incentivise information leading to the recovery of stolen wealth.
Noting that the Whistleblower Policy was not designed as a tool for unscrupulous citizens to send law enforcement agencies on wild goose chases or set them against their perceived enemies, he vowed that the EFCC would not hesitate to prosecute any informant wilfully providing the agency with false information.
The EFCC in a statement on Friday by its spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said its Bawa reiterated the commission’s preparedness to work with genuine whistleblowers and acknowledged the breakthroughs the EFCC recorded in its assets recovery drive thanks to such unsolicited information.
The statement said: “He advised genuine informants to be cautious and ensure that they have accurate information before engaging with the agency.
“Bawa assured that the Directorate of Intelligence which was recently created, will henceforth ensure that all information received by the EFCC is subjected to rigorous due diligence before action is taken.”
