By AGATHA N Uju, Correspondent, Abuja
The State Director, Department of State Services, Imo State, U.G. Dunkwu and the Chief Judge of Imo State, Justice I.O. Agugua as well as Eze-Imo and Eze Udo 2 of Amaifeke Ancient Kingdom, Imo State, His Royal Majesty, Eze E.C. Okeke, have all pledged to work in collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) to rid the country of corruption and financial crimes.
The stakeholders made their pledges separately when the Acting Director of the Awka Zonal Directorate of the EFCC, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, Ofen-imu Atiba, led senior officers of the Commission in the zone on a familiarization and sensitization visit to them.
In his separate addresses at the meetings, Atiba disclosed that his preliminary crime analysis revealed that public sector corruption, land and property fraud, tax fraud, advance fee fraud/cybercrime, bank fraud and open market abuse are the most predominant crimes in the jurisdiction, covering Anambra and Imo states, noting that the identified economic and financial crimes undermine public trust and investment and impede sustainable development within the two Southeast states.
A statement by the EFCC, made available to The First Mail newspaper in Abuja noted that while observing that the Awka Directorate of the Commission is a new formation, he informed his hosts that the strong resolve of the Ola Olukoyede leadership of the EFCC to decisively deal with corruption, economic and financial crimes across the federation informed the decision to establish the Awka Directorate of the EFCC so as to bring the anti-graft activities of the Commission closer to the people of the two states and invariably create better environment for legitimate businesses to thrive for enduring economic and financial prosperity of the people.
In the statement issued by the Head, Media and Publicity of EFCC, Dele Oyewale, Justice I.O Agugua and all the judges present at the meeting commended the initiative of the Awka Zonal Directorate of the EFCC in seeking to foster better inter-agency and institutional collaboration.
She emphasized the critical importance of thorough, professional, and evidence-based investigations, stressing that well-prepared case files and diligent prosecution were fundamental in securing convictions in matters of corruption, economic and financial crimes.
She expressed her readiness for the training of EFCC legal officers and assured the EFCC Zonal Director of the state’s judiciary’s readiness to work in collaboration with the Commission and guide its officers on best practices in prosecution.
His Royal Majesty, Eze Dr. E.C. Okeke, who doubles as the Chairman of the Imo State Traditional Council and Chairman, South East Traditional Council, appreciated the EFCC’s proactive engagement with traditional institutions and acknowledged the damaging effects of corruption and financial crimes on communities and development efforts.
The traditional ruler, on behalf of the members of Imo Traditional Council who were present, pledged the full support of the Imo Traditional Council in the fight against corruption, assuring that he would mobilize all the traditional rulers and community leaders within his domain to promote integrity, discourage criminality, and support lawful economic activities. He further assured that traditional institutions would collaborate in EFCC’s sensitization efforts to curb corruption, economic and financial crimes at the grassroots.
The Imo State Director of the DSS, U.G. Dunkwu, expressed the need for enhanced collaboration, synergy, and intelligence sharing among the law enforcement agencies, noting that corruption, economic and financial crimes posed serious security threats that required coordinated and strategic responses.
He assured of Imo State DSS Command’s readiness to strengthen cooperation, and where necessary, undertake joint operations in the Southeast with the EFCC to effectively combat economic and financial crimes and to support lawful enforcement efforts aimed at safeguarding economic stability and public trust.
The Commission’s meeting with the critical stakeholders is geared at seeking better understanding, cooperation and collaboration in the fight against corruption, economic and financial crimes within the jurisdiction of the Awka Zonal Directorate of the EFCC.
