Financial crimes fighters from Togo and Gambia have expressed admiration for the operational approach and leadership qualities which made the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) a role model in Africa.
According to the Head, Analysis Office of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) in Togo, Tsontsoko Mamman, EFCC deserves commendation for playing a pivotal role in combating money laundering, financing of terrorism, and proliferation in Nigeria, as well as responding to the global trends by collaborating with other FIUs worldwide.
A statement issued by EFCC’s spokesman, Wilson Nwujare, revealed that Mamman made the commendation today, when a combined delegation of FIUs from Gambia and Togo visited the acting EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Mustapha Magu, at the Commission’s Head Office, Abuja. He said: “We came to learn your experience so as to improve efficiency. We cannot thank the EFCC acting Chairman enough for his efforts and support in the global fight against corruption. “Since financial crimes are a global issue, my country (Togo) and Gambia FIUs have deemed it fit to collaborate with the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and Nigeria in general to stem the rate of money laundering and financing of terrorism within the Africa sub-region.”
The Head, NFIU, Francis Usaini, noted at the parley that “the sister agencies came to understudy NFIU because of its effectiveness under Magu’s watch’’.The NFIU is the Nigerian arm of the global financial intelligence units (FIUs) domiciled within the EFCC as an autonomous unit and operating in the African Region. Usaini explained that the delegates were in the Commission for three-day training and had been trained in the areas of strategic analysis, monetary analysis and other aspects of the NFIU. In his remarks, Magu assured the delegation of EFCC’s continued support for the FIUs, because the fight against corruption is a joint effort. The Gambian delegation was led by Alagie Dabo, Head, Research and Analysis, FIU, Gambia.