It
is important to say that every organization has its measure of success and
failure. For the sake of this long essay work, a selected success of the
exploits of the Commission will be dealt with. The assessment of success in the Commission can be seen in the
area of international relations. A total of 150. Operatives of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, E.F.C.C. participated in a special
training programme organized by the United States Federal Bureau of
Investigation. The course which took place at the Lagos office of the Commission
covered a broad spectrum of law enforcement including major case management,
financial fraud, interviewing and interrogation.
The programme according to a
statement by the legal attaches office of the United States Consulate in Lagos
was designed to provide effective International Law Enforcement training in
Nigeria and to assist members of the Commission to successfully combat and
prevent terrorist acts. “Our job is to work with Nigerian Law
Enforcement Officers and offer them tools that will assist in their job of
identifying, disrupting, and dismantling those criminal organizations that are threats to both
countries”, said U.S legato Ron Nolan. The Director of Operations
of E.F.C.C., Mr. Ibrahim Larmode underlined the co-operation
between the E.F.C.C. and the United States Government. He said that the various
agencies of the United States Government such as the State Department, the
Department of Justice, the F.B.I., the secret Service and the United Postal
Inspection service have supported the E.F.C.C.
But he emphasized that no agency
has trained operatives of the Commission more than the F.B.I. Mr.
Larmode said that the co-operation with U.S agencies has helped to strengthen
the Commission to the extent that it has emerged as one of the most credible
law enforcement agencies in Nigeria. The success of the E.F.C.C.,
can also be seen in its contribution in international relations.
An example of this, is a two-week general investigation training course for
officers of the Nigerian security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) organized by
the E.F.C.C. at the Commission’s Training Research Institute (TRI), Karu,
Abuja, which came to an end successfully. In his remarks at an
impressive end of course ceremony, the Director of TRI, Dr David Tukura scored
the exercise high for coming closer to fulfilling E.F.C.C.’s desire of having a
vibrant energetic and robust relationship with other law enforcement agencies.
The assessment of the E.F.C.C. can also be seen in this publication.
The committee for the Defence of Human Right
(CDHR), has commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission E.F.C.C.,
for its sustained war against economic and financial crimes and acts of
corruption. Giving the commendation was Barrister Olasupo Ojo, C.D.H.R’s
president during a courtesy call on the Commission. Ojo said that the E.F.C.C.’s unrelenting war
against corrupt practices in the Nation was consistent with his Committee’s
beliefs and convictions. He stressed that what the Commission was doing was a
continuation of the war the civil society organization started several years
ago. He charged the Commission to continue the crack down on all corrupt individuals
and organizations so as to sanitize the Nation and save us the frustrations and
sufferings emanating from Corrupt Practices.
The case of EFCC v. Femi Fani-Kayode is
also a booster to the assessment of the success of the E.F.C.C. The case was on
an alleged money Laundering trail of Former Aviation Minster. The
success of the E.F.C.C. is appreciable in their use of an e-evidence.
The E.F.C.C. was said to have challenged the trial court’s rejection of the
computer print-out of a statement of account which the commission had tendered
before the court as evidence. The trial judge Ramat Mohammed rejected the
evidence, saying it was inadmissible. The commission was dissatisfied
with the ruling of the Federal High Court. It averred that the learned trial
judge erred in law when he relied on the case of UBA v. SAFPU. The
appellant further contended that the trail court had relied on the case of UBA
v. SAFPU, which is a court of Appeal’s decision, whereas the Supreme Court had
held in cases like Unity Life and Insurance Co. Ltd p. IBWA Ltd
that a computer print out is admissible as secondary evidence. The E.F.C.C.
relying on Egbue v. Araka also argued that the meaning of a
certified document is that it is a true copy made from and compared with the
original, “adding that” this satisfies the requirement of admissible secondary
evidence provided for in the Evidence Act.
It is obvious that though, the
Commission may have recorded enormous success, failures are also lurking in
some areas. One of abysmal failures of the Commission is the inability to bring
to book some of the “big wig in the country. E.F.C.C. as a
Commission has given several Hamboyant reasons why some of these persons cannot
be prosecuted, but then in reality, the citizenry are aware of the
possibility of a conviction. The Commission has also failed in the area of the
Nigerian fraudsters who flee from Nigeria. A proof of this fact is the
statement by the former boss of the E.F.C.C when ZTTeam in Accra, Ghana
Visited him. He said that unfortunately, those fraudsters are not within their
jurisdiction so they may have little to do. As regards the
response by the then boss of the E.F.C.C., the fact is that up until now,
nothing serious has been done and therefore it can be termed a kind of failure.
Their failure to my own opinion is not abysmal but can be said to be minimal.