ICPC Woos NFIU To Tackle Money Laundering

Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu said the commission will consolidate on the working relationship between the commission and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), to stamp out money laundering and other related acts of corruption.

The ICPC chairman, while speaking at a meeting between the two agencies, stated that NFIU remains a key player in the war on corruption in Nigeria and underlined their importance by pointing out that “NFIU’s role is critical because the commission relies on their intelligence to function optimally”.

ICPC spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, in a statement, further said the anti-corruption agency boss reiterated his commitment to ensuring that all hands are firmly on deck to ensure that Nigeria is purged of all forms of corruption.

Reacting to a presentation by the NFIU, the ICPC boss stated that the commission had noted the facts presented in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) report as well as the timelines for the execution of all action plans.

He mentioned that the commission would leave no stone unturned in its quest to eradicate corruption in Nigeria.

According to him, harnessing the power of technology, increasing the number of prosecutions in money laundering cases and profound understanding of the judicial sector were some of the areas the commission was already seeking to improve.

He added that the problem of Nigeria being in the FATF grey list has drastically affected the socio-economic well-being of Nigerian citizens.

In her remarks, the chief executive officer of NFIU, Hafsat Abubakar Bakari said the visit to ICPC was to bring the commission up to speed on the critical stage that the country is, especially as it concerns expunging the country from FATF grey list.

The NFIU head stated that it was their responsibility to explore options of strategic partnership to achieve a common goal.

She implored the commission to do everything within its power to ensure that Nigeria passes all anti-money laundering milestones in flying colours.