THE Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, has revealed that the anti-graft agency uncovered how a religious sect in Nigeria is laundering money for terrorists.
This was as he also revealed that another religious body was found to be protecting a money launderer after some money suspected to have been laundered was traced to the organisation’s bank account.
The EFCC boss made the revelation on Wednesday at the Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, during a one-day dialogue on “Youth, Religion, and the Fight against Corruption.”
He noted that religious organisations, institutions, sects, and bodies, have been found culpable of money laundering.
Olukoyede said, “A religious sect in this country had been found to be laundering money for terrorists.”
Earlier, he noted, “We were able to trace some laundered money to a religious organisation, and when we apporached the religious organisation about it and we were carrying out our investigation, we got a restraining order stopping us from carrying out our investigation.”
Olukoyede further said the commission will not give up on the investigation as it is appealing the restraining order to recover the stolen funds.
Olukoyede also revealed that since he assumed office as the Chairman of the EFCC about three months ago, the anti-graft commission has secured 747 convictions.
Lamenting the high number of convictions, the EFCC chairman said most of them were for Internet-related offences.
The one-day event is aimed at addressing the challenges of youth involvement in cybercrimes and how religion could be used as a weapon for their reorientation.
The event, themed “Youth, Religion and the Fight Against Corruption,” featured the launch of the Interfaith Preaching and Teaching Manual developed by the Interfaith Anti-Corruption Advisory Committee of the Commission as a resource to promote abhorrence for corruption among adherents of Islam and Christianity.
The EFCC’s Fraud Risk Assessment Prevention and Control Project for Ministries, Departments and Agencies was also launched at the event.
