The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has decried the sudden rise of fake dollars in the Benue axis.
Its Acting Chairman, Mr Abdulkarim Chukkol, disclosed this in Makurdi, while declaring open a One Day Workshop on “Effective Reporting of Economic and Financial Crimes.”
At the workshop, 30 journalists of major media organisations in the country were trained on “Financial Crimes Reporting.”
Chukkol decried the sudden rise of fake dollars in Benue and surrounding environs.
The crime boss, represented by the Assistant Commander & Head Makurdi Zonal Office, Mr Friday Ebelo, said there was also rise in cyberspace criminality within the Zone.
He said the primary aim of the commission was to ensure that corruption is reduced to the barest minimal if not completely eliminated in the country.
He said the commission was going to ensure that the rise of fake dollars and cyberspace criminality within the Makurdi Zonal Office is reduced to the barest.
“Through the commission’s enforcement activities, recoveries running into several billions of naira have been recorded and the country’s anti-money laundering framework strengthened.
“There is now a more robust regulation of the activities of these entities which are vulnerable to money laundering,” he said.
He warned family members, friends and associates of political office holders and senior civil servants not to avail their banks details for illegal deals to avoid imprisonment.
“I will like the media to educate family members, friends, politicians and others that they run the risk of going to jail if they allow their companies or banks accounts to be used to launder proceeds of illegal activities.
“Under the Money Laundering Act, 2022 family members and close allies of politicians and public office holders, including top civil servants, are now classified as Politically Exposed Persons.
“The EFCC is determined to ensure that anyone, who steals from public treasury and all those who assist them under whatever guise, are brought to justice and ignorance of the law will not be an excuse,” he said.
Mr Chukkol further disclosed that the commission recorded its highest conviction since establishment in 2022 with 3,785.
He said that the Makurdi Zonal Office, which was established in 2019 has so far recorded 107 convictions.
