Nigeria achieve the repatriation of the country’s stolen money stashed
away in banks in United Kingdom.
Magu made the appeal while receiving a delegation from British’s Serious
and Organised Crime Joint Analysis, SOCJA for West Africa at EFCC’s
headquarters.
He noted that it was worrisome that the wealth of the country has for a
very long time, remained trapped in foreign countries, hindering
infrastructural development of Nigeria and creating paucity of funds to
run the country. Nigeria, he said, would have been better if the stolen
monies have been returned.
“Our worry is that our money has been held for a very long time in
foreign countries and if our money is returned, there will be improved
infrastructural development in many sectors of the economy. If all the
repatriated funds are pumped into the country, it will significantly
enhance our abilities and capabilities,” Magu said.
He frowned at the rate at which illicit funds are being moved away to
Britain and other European countries, disclosing that the EFCC has
carried out a lot of activities in local and foreign airports in trying
to stop and apprehend looters exiting or entering the country with
illicit funds.
He further disclosed that some unscrupulous elements were smuggling out
raw gold, especially from Zamfara State to foreign countries, by
laundering it into money outside the shores of the country and in the
process denying the country of the precious natural endowment that would
have been processed locally and value gained from it.
Magu noted that Nigeria, especially the EFCC, has a good working
relationship with the British Government, and has also received lots of
support from the UK Government.
The leader of the SOCJA delegation from the UK’s National Crime Agency,
Paddy Kerr, disclosed that the visit to the EFCC, followed the
instruction from the British Government that each team under the Serious
Organized Crime Joint Analysts, SOCJA, should go to every region in the
world and try to get the picture of its peculiar organized crimes.
“We need to understand from the EFCC’s perspective, what is driving
crimes and corruption in Nigeria. What are the key things EFCC is doing
that British can assist?” Kerr asked.
Aside Nigeria in West Africa, the assignment he said, will take the team
to Ghana, Guinea and Senegal, in order to identify the threats and
challenges, facing the countries of this region from organised crimes.
Speaking further, he said: “Our job is not to be the experts, but to try
to understand what are the underlying causes and driving forces of
serious organised crimes, so that we can have better programmes in the
future and better direct our resources.”
He disclosed that they were looking at areas of illicit financial flows,
bribery, embezzlement and contract negotiation, adding that “we are
looking at collaboration that will enhance EFCC’s abilities,
intelligence gathering and sharing.”
He called for synergy between the EFCC and SOCJA, noting that “criminals
are constantly thinking of new ways to get away with their criminal
activities.”
Kerr stated that the Nigerian government needed political will to win
the fight against corruption and praised President Muhammadu Buhari for
the renewed momentum in Nigeria’s anti-corruption fight.
Other members of the delegation are Jim Connelly Webster and Kathryn
Lockett.