Bawa disclosed this on Thursday in Benin, Edo State during a one-day training on effective reporting of economic and financial crimes for journalists in the state.
Bawa, who was represented by the Zonal Commander of the Benin Zonal Office, Kanu Idagu, described the feat as significant, not only for the commission but also for the entire nation, adding that conviction figures are proof of the effectiveness of the war against graft.
Declaring the workshop open, the EFCC boss said the event was one of the efforts of the commission to build synergy and strengthen media understanding and appreciation of the work of the commission.
The Benin session, Bawa said, was a continuation of a series that began a few years ago and four of such were held in some Zonal Commands and the Headquarters in 2022.
The chairman, who was presented by the Zonal Commander of the Benin Zonal Office, Kanu Idagu, noted that the scope had been expanded to accommodate more journalists in the Zonal Commands of the commission.
“Over the years, the media has been one of the commission’s most critical stakeholders in the fight against corruption.
“Let me use this opportunity to commend the professional and patriotic efforts of the Fourth Estate of the Realm in beaming searchlights not only on the works of the EFCC but on all shades of economic and financial crimes.
“The robust reporting of the activities of the commission has been quite helpful.
*Let me also use this opportunity to state that the EFCC remains committed to its mandate of tackling all forms of economic and financial crimes across the country. The conviction figure has also risen in 2023,” the chairman stated.
The EFCC boss said that the commission secured 3785 convictions in 2022, a 70.5 per cent improvement over its record for 2021, which was 2220.
The antigraft agency, he said, has recorded a 98.93 per cent success rate in prosecution for the year, given that the commission lost only 41 cases, representing 1.07 per cent within the period.
