A Coalition of Non Governmental Organisations under the aegis of Media
\nInitiative against Injustice, Violence and Corruption-MIIVOC has dragged
\nthe Economic and Financial Crimes Commission-EFCC to Court over its
\nrefusal to respond to a request made under the Freedom of Information Act.<\/p>\n
The matter filed in Federal High Court, Abuja, with Suit number:
\nFHC\/ABJ\/CS\/265\/13 between the Incorporated Trustees of Media Initiative
\nagainst Injustice, Violence and Corruption- plaintiff and the Executive
\nChairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission-EFCC-defendant, prays
\nthe Court to compel the defendant to make available the information sought
\nby the Plaintiff in accordance with section 4 of the Freedom of
\nInformation Act, 2011.<\/p>\n
The matter, which comes up tomorrow (9\/7\/14) in Federal High Court 2,
\nAbuja, before Justice Kasarati seeks four reliefs, among which is \u201ca
\ndeclaration by the Court that the denial of assess by the respondents to
\nmake available to the applicant the information sought, without
\nexplanation amounts to a violation of the applicant\u2019s right to information
\nenshrined in the Freedom of Information Act 2011, section 4\u201d<\/p>\n
Coordinator of the Coalition, Walter Duru had in a Press briefing in
\nAbuja, lamented over the refusal of the anti-corruption Agency to respond
\nto a request made under the Freedom of Information Act.<\/p>\n
According to him, MIIVOC had through a letter dated 27th January, 2014,
\ninvoked the Freedom of information act via a request for information
\nbothering on credibility, finances and Police presence in the Commission,
\na copy of which he displayed.<\/p>\n
He lamented over what he described as the Commission\u2019s refusal to release
\nits staff nominal roll, as requested by the National Assembly Committee on
\nDrugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes, which paid an oversight visit to
\nthe Commission late last year.<\/p>\n
According to the FOI request, signed by the Organisation\u2019s Programme
\nManager, Philip Inyang, copy of which is acknowledged by the EFCC, MIIVOC
\nmade a 7-point demand that centered on the controversies surrounding the
\nCommission\u2019s financial state, alleged dominance of the Commission by the
\nPolice and other credibility issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe refer to the August 5, 2013 publication on Daily Sun Newspapers and
\nthe Punch newspaper of August 2nd, 2013 which reported that there are
\nabout 700 Policemen working in the EFCC, majority of whom are top
\nmanagement Staff. In another report in the Nigerian Voice.com, an online
\nnewspaper, it was alleged that most heads of Units, Departments and zones
\nin the Commission are headed by Policemen, irrespective of qualifications,
\nfederal character and background. In response to the Vanguard Newspapers
\npublication of January 21st, 2013, the EFCC Spokesman denied the
\npredominant presence of Policemen in the Commission, without explaining
\nwhat the 700 policemen are doing in EFCC and how 700 policemen, out of
\nless than 1,200 EFCC staff is not a predominant figure in an organization
\nthat was created more than ten years ago. He also failed to address the
\nissues raised in the report by the Senate where EFCC was alleged to be
\nspending funds meant for the recruitment of new staff and payment of
\nbenefits to its core officials to Police.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOn ThisDay newspaper of 17th December, 2013, the Commission was quoted as
\nbeing broke and having less than N2m in her accounts. In another statement
\ncredited to the Commission\u2019s Spokesman, Wilson Uwajuren and published on
\nVanguard and Guardian newspapers of 19th December, 2013, the Commission
\nwas reported to have somersaulted, claiming that it was not broke.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo sustain the credibility of this Commission among Nigerians and at the
\ninternational level, a more robust and convincing response is expected
\nfrom the Commission in situations such as this, considering the series of
\ncontroversies that have trailed the Commission\u2019s activities and operations
\nlately.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is the need for this credibility and in view of the right of Nigerians
\nto know, that we most respectfully invoke Sections 1, 2 (3)(V), 2(3)(Vi)
\nof the 2011 Freedom of Information Act to request for the following:
\nDetails of all Police officers posted to EFCC, their qualifications,
\nranks, and duties as well as dates of secondment to EFCC; Details of
\npolice officers that are in charge of operations, sections and units of
\nEFCC; Details of senior officers of EFCC occupying Directorate positions
\nand the number that are supposed to be in Directorate positions if not for
\nthe police officers; The volume and value of EFCC funds (INCLUDING
\nNON-APPROPRIATED FUNDS) that go to the Police, Ministry of Trade and
\nInvestment Special Control Unit Department, Training of staff, number of
\nofficials of EFCC trained (and other officials who are not EFCC officials)
\nand how much was saved from EFCC budget in 2013 given all the
\ninternational funding and support it obtained in 2012\/2013.<\/p>\n
Other requests are: Details of support and funding from the international
\ncommunity in 2013, especially, funds from: GIABA\/ECOWAS and World Bank;
\nDetails of EFCC officials trained by international agencies in 2013 and
\nhow much was saved in the budget of EFCC because of this support and the
\nactual financial statement of the Commission, as at December 31st, 2013.<\/p>\n
Media Initiative against Injustice, Violence and Corruption (MIIVOC) is a
\ncoalition of communication, civil society and human rights activists and
\ngroups with interest in the war against injustice, Violence, immorality
\nand corruption, as well as the protection of human rights, from a
\ncommunication perspective. It is believed to be working with a coalition
\nof over twenty different non-governmental Organisations in the Project.<\/p>\n
Among the NGOs in the Coalition are: Network on Police Reforms in
\nNigeria-NOPRIN; International Association of Criminal Justice
\nPractitioners-IACJP; Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and
\nDevelopment- FENRAD; Citizens Centre for Integrated Development and Social
\nRights-CCIDSOR, Center for Zero Violence Advocacy-CEZVA; Media Initiative
\nAgainst Injustice, Violence and Corruption; Initiative for Reorientation
\nfor Peace-building \u2013I-REP, among others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Coalition of Non Governmental Organisations under the aegis of Media Initiative against Injustice, Violence and Corruption-MIIVOC has dragged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission-EFCC to Court over its refusal…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21680,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n