Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Lamorde, on Friday said his commission has secured more than 773 convictions and recovered several amount of money since it was set up in 2003.
Represented by Osita Nwaja, Deputy Director, Public Affairs Department of the commission, Lamorde, said this in Sokoto during the inauguration the of Usman Danfodiyo University chapter of the Zero Tolerance Club, an anti corruption club in the institution.
Osita, delivering a paper entitled: ‘Students should lead the fight against economic and financial crimes, Osita said the war against corruption and financial crimes can only be won through collective efforts.
According to him, the “economic and financial crimes constitute a great challenge to Nigeria’s economy and its image, both at home and abroad.
“The commission has been reorienting Nigerians not only to see the devastating effects of corruption, economic and financial crimes in all facets of our lives, but also to rise and do something about it”, he said.
“On a daily basis, the commission arrest, detain and prosecute offenders in various cases of Internet scams.”
Osita stressed that 65 percent of those arrested were undergraduates, adding that it hurts to see future leaders of Nigeria languishing in jail.
“But the law must take its course”, he noted sadly.
Speaking at the inauguration, Head of Public Enlightenment and Re-Orientation Unit of the commission, Hajiya Aisha Larai-Musa, lamented the high rate of criminal activities among students of tertiary institutions.
Some of the crimes she said were perpetrated by the students included examination malpractice, advance fee fraud, cyber crimes, extortion, bribery, cultism, identity theft, and others.
She said the club in institutions was part of efforts to find lasting solution to the problems.
“The club, which is non-partisan and non-profit making, was conceived to promote awareness on corruption among students in tertiary institutions”, Larai-Musa said.
Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Riskuwa Shehu, represented by his Deputy, Professor Abubakar Bagudo, advised Nigerians to collectively and frontally fight corruption.
“Unless this is done, the dream of achieving sustainable growth and development in Nigeria would continue to elude the nation”, he said.
