AYO ESAN
THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has expressed concern about the activities of supposed whistleblowers who mislead the agency through false information.
The Executive Chairman of the Commission, Abdurasheed Bawa, said despite due diligence by the EFCC, scarce investigative resources had been wasted by the agency in following up false leads that frequently came to a dead end.
According to him, the activities of false whistle blowers negate the noble intendment of the Whistblower Policy of the Federal Government, which seek to incentivize information leading to the recovery of stolen wealth.
Noting that the Whistleblower Policy was not designed as a tool for unscrupulous citizens to send law enforcement agencies on wild goose chase or set them against their perceived enemies, he vowed that the EFCC would not hesitate to prosecute any whistle blower who willfully provides the agency with false information.
He, however, reiterated the Commission’s preparedness to work with genuine whistleblowers and acknowledged the breakthroughs, which the EFCC recorded in its assets recovery drive, using information supplied by whistleblowers.
He advised genuine informants to be cautious and ensure that they had accurate information before engaging with the agency.
Bawa assured that the Directorate of Intelligence, which was recently created, would henceforth ensure that all information received by the EFCC “is subjected to rigorous due diligence before action is taken.”
