The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibadan Zonal Office, on Monday, said it received no fewer than six hundred and ninety one (691) petitions between January and November this year.
Zonal Head of the commission, Mr Friday Ebelo, made this declaration while speaking at a program to commemorate this year’s International Anti-Corruption day in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Ebelo while insisting that corruption remained the most potent threat to human existence, maintained that the commission arrested no fewer than eight hundred and seventy-eight persons in the course of its investigations in eleven months.
He said that 213 out of the 691 petitioners received were returned unapproved, 878 persons were arrested, while 268 were prosecuted in the period under review.
Ebelo said, “Today’s event is so special as it holds in commemoration of this year’s International Anti-Corruption Day. Corruptions remains the most potent threat to human existence.
“It is at the root of every tragedy that ever befell mankind. It has also been identified as the ultimate potential impediment to the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals proposed for full actualisation by the year 2030.
“For the Ibadan zone, the last one year witnessed a beehive of activities with unprecedented successes as the zone contributes its modest quota to the global fight against corruption. In the last one year, particularly from January 2019 till date, the zone received 691 petitions.
“213 of these were returned unapproved as issues raised therein did not fall under the purview of our mandate. In the course of investigations, the zone arrested 878 persons.
“It is the realisation of these threats and the need to nip them in the bud that countries of the world came together under the auspices of the United Nations to pass the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) in December 2003. As of today, 186 member-states are parties to the treaty.
“The document currently has 140 signatories and 30 ratification. Those are in addition to the full involvement of notable Non-Member states of the global body.”
“Out of the 268 prosecuted, 171 have been convicted. Our investigations also led to temporary fixing of 1044 bank accounts, while 56 automobiles and 14 houses were impounded. We equally have several laptops android phones and many other electronic devices confiscated in compliance with court orders.
“In the period under review, the zone also recovered on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria huge sums of money in both local and foreign currencies.
“These include a total of N211,134,927.26 (Two Hundred and Eleven Million, One Hundred and Thirty-Four Thousand, Nine Hundred and Twenty Nine Naira, Twenty Six Kobo). For the foreign currencies, we had $136,289 (One Hundred and Thirty-Six Thousand, Two Hundred and Eighty-Nine United States Dollars), €2000 (Two Thousand Euros) and £765 (Seven Hundred and Sixty-Five British Pounds).
“We must personalise the fight against the monster if we truly desire a corruption-free Nigeria. We can’t sit on the fence and expect success in this campaign. We must all get involved. It is a winnable war if only we show doggedness and commitment.”