Graft: Govs, top politicians under EFCC, UK Police watch —Lamorde

Unknown to many of Nigeria’s serving governors, ministers and other top public figures, who are in the habit of siphoning public funds abroad, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and the United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police have been monitoring their movements and are set to expose them to Nigerians and the international community in a short while.

Chairman of EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, announced the development in Abuja while receiving a top official of the London Metropolitan Police, Mr. Jonathan Benton, who was in his office to share ideas on the ongoing investigation involving the two organisations.

Lamorde said the two agencies were pursuing corruption cases involving top Nigerians politicians who have been discovered to be committing graft in the course of their service to the nation.

According to Lamorde, investigation into the financial activities of some unnamed serving governors, ministers and other top public officials in Nigeria is going on with a view to establishing credible evidence that would lead to inescapable prosecution.

He said the commission, having learnt from the mistake of the past, would not name the affected high profile suspects so as not to put them on the alert but would arrest and charge them to court once the agency was through with investigations.

The chairman, who did not also say how much the affected suspects might have stolen from the country so far, maintained that top officials of the government use proxies, family members and third party companies registered in tax havens to steal public funds thereby making it difficult for them to be tracked and punished for graft.

Lamorde said: “We are pursuing several cases involving top politicians with the Metropolitan Police of London and we are mindful not to talk about them until investigation is concluded.

“We are also reviewing the cases and will soon make them public when we are ready to go to court. We are not in a hurry to name them. Any Nigerian in public office who steals public funds should know that there will be no hiding place.