The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ola Olukoyede, has urged Chief Executive Officers of banks nationwide to consistently adhere to existing regulations and rules governing their operations as a means of combating economic and financial crimes as well as other forms of corruption.
The EFCC chief conveyed this message during a visit to his office in Abuja by the Body of Bank CEOs, representing the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, at the EFCC corporate headquarters.
This information was disclosed in a statement released by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, on Wednesday.
Olukoyede expressed his disapproval of sharp practices, compromises, and unethical behaviors in the banking industry, emphasizing the crucial need for ethical reorientation among bank employees to cleanse the sector.
“I think the essential thing is for you all to play by the rules. Banking fraud affects the economy considerably. We are ready to work with any bank executive that plays by the rules because that is the only way of growing the economy,” he said.
He assured the CEOs that the commission would work together with them in a way that would encourage mutual trust, which in turn would help banks and businesses grow the economy.
“We will work together; we don’t want to see any bank go down; we don’t want to see any business destroyed, especially when you are set up to create wealth and employment, and that is what we need in Nigeria. You help businesses to grow; why should any government want to bring banks down?
“But there are enterprises that are set up to destroy the system; to destroy the economy, we will not allow those ones to survive,” he said.
The EFCC boss also reaffirmed his dedication to leveraging the agency’s authority to bolster the economy.
“One of the policy objectives that I share with Nigerians in the course of my Senate screening and confirmation is to use the instrumentality of this mandate to stimulate the economy.
“That is very important because I know what other anti-corruption agencies do all over the world and that is the key to us and we have started doing that,” he said.
In earlier remarks, Lamin Madang, the Managing Director of Standard Chartered Bank, who headed the delegation, praised Olukoyede for his appointment, noting the Chairman’s success in revamping the EFCC’s image.
He also commended the EFCC for achieving a total of 3,785 convictions in 2022 and an additional 1,688 convictions recorded between January and September 2023. Madang highlighted that these accomplishments “underscore the Commission’s steadfast dedication to upholding justice and the rule of law in Nigeria.”
Madang, leading CEOs from Polaris Bank, Premium Trust Bank, Citi Bank, Globus Bank, and Jaiz Bank, made several appeals to the EFCC during the meeting, including requests to review policies regarding Post No Debit (PND), suspicious accounts, the interrogation of bank personnel, including CEOs, and the acceptance of digital bank statement copies for investigations.
It’s worth noting that operatives from the Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the EFCC arrested a banker named Soberechukwu Inya Ewa and a Point of Sale cashier, Azubuike Mamwu Obasi, on Friday, February 15, 2024, for allegedly vending new naira notes to customers for commercial purposes.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Ewa specialized in selling new naira notes of various denominations to Point of Sale cashiers for commercial gain, while Obasi was apprehended for involvement in currency racketeering by levying fees for new naira notes. Obasi was found in possession of N554,600.00. Both suspects are expected to face charges in court soon.