By Harrison Arubu
The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Magu, on Thursday said the anti-graft agency had secured 187 convictions in the last one year.
Magu disclosed this at a one-day symposium on money laundering organised by the Faculty of Management Sciences, Lagos State University (LASU) in Lagos.
In a lecture, Magu reiterated his popular assertion that corruption is a crime against humanity, and renewed his call on all Nigerians to join the fight against the menace.
Spokesman of the commission, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, reported the event in a statement in Abuja.
He implored Nigerians to work together with the EFCC in bringing about lasting change and securing the prosperity of the next generation.
“This seminar is dear to me and the EFCC because it is taking place in a school and among young people who are carrying upon their shoulders the hopes of family members and Nigeria as a country.
“More so, it is happening right in the Centre of Excellence. Any good seed planted in this place, in the course of this seminar, cannot die,” Magu said.
He commended the courage of the President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Prof. Olusegun Ajibola, who presented a paper titled: “Money Laundering: Bankers Perspectives”.
In his presentation, Ajibola accused some banks of complicity in the act of money laundering over the years, a statement the EFCC boss agreed with.
Magu expressed appreciation for the opportunity to connect with the “future leaders of Nigeria on a subject that affects not only our today but one that could also impact their tomorrow’’.
Ajibola advocated improved technology in checking corruption as well as enhancing synergy between the EFCC and other law enforcement agencies.
The Vice Chancellor of LASU, Prof. Lanre Fagbohun, thanked the EFCC acting chairman for his presence, saying the institution was proud of his service at the commission.
Fagbohun said he was confident that the commission would surmount the numerous challenges facing it.
“As long as money laundering and corruption exist, they poison the system. It is destructive of the system.
“We must start doing things right if we want the nation to move forward,’’ he said.
The one-day event had as its theme: “Money Laundering And Its Impact On The Nigerian Economy: The Way Forward”.
It saw various speakers interrogating the vexed issue of money laundering while also proffering solutions to the corruption scourge.
