At a one-day dialogue on “Youth, Religion, and the Fight against Corruption” in Abuja on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, disclosed that the agency had uncovered a religious sect involved in laundering money for terrorists. He also revealed that N7 billion in fraud proceeds were traced to another religious organization during the event.
Olukoyede further highlighted the EFCC’s findings of various religious organizations, institutions, sects, and bodies engaging in money laundering activities across the country. He mentioned a particular instance where a religious body took legal action against the commission to protect its leader after laundered funds were traced to its bank account.
The EFCC boss explained that the religious body obtained a court injunction restraining the commission from inviting, arresting, or prosecuting its leader. However, he noted that the EFCC had appealed the judgment and remained resolute in its pursuit of justice despite facing legal challenges.
Since assuming office approximately three months ago, Olukoyede stated that the anti-graft commission had secured 747 convictions, with cybercrime cases constituting over 60 percent of the total convictions. He also introduced a Fraud Risk Assessment Project aimed at assisting government agencies in addressing systemic vulnerabilities at personal, institutional, and environmental levels.
The dialogue, themed “Youth, Religion, and the Fight Against Corruption,” focused on addressing the challenges of youth involvement in cybercrimes and exploring the potential role of religion in their reorientation.
As part of the event, the Interfaith Anti-Corruption Advisory Committee of the EFCC launched the Interfaith Preaching and Teaching Manual, designed to promote a strong anti-corruption stance among adherents of Islam and Christianity.