The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday alerted the public about increasing attacks on its image by those it described as “criminal characters parading themselves as officers of the commission”.
The anti-corruption commission, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, made available to Tribune Online in Abuja, stated that intelligence at its disposal indicated that several “ingenious but fraudulent” means were being employed by dark characters to besmirch its reputation, including operating around popular eateries or fun spots in major cities.
Oyewale stated that the modus operandi of the criminal characters was laying an ambush for innocent youths coming out of the eateries and harassing them on unfounded suspicions of being internet fraudsters and dispossessing them of their valuables.
“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is constrained to alert the public about increasing waves of attack on its image by criminal characters parading themselves as officers of the Commission in different guises.
“Intelligence available to the Commission showed that several ingenious but fraudulent means are being employed by dark characters to besmirch the reputation of the EFCC. For instance, there is a gang of fraudsters now operating around popular Eateries or funspots in our major cities.
“Their modus operandi is laying ambush for innocent youths coming out of the Eateries and harassing them on unfounded suspicions of being internet fraudsters and dispossessing them of their valuables.
“These characters usually portray the identities of authentic EFCC officers by dressing in fake uniforms and moving their victims to locations bearing fictitious resemblance to an EFCC office,” the EFCC spokesperson stated.
He added that there is also a gang of itinerant criminals harassing innocent motorists on the identities of their number plates.
According to him, “These ones wield dangerous weapons to compel their victims to offer them money on trumped-up accusations.
“There is yet another tribe of online impersonators and fraudulent content creators dramatizing fake sting operations of the EFCC with evidence of broken doors, windows and forced entrance into their premises.
“Such uncharacteristic portrayals of the EFCC could deceive unsuspecting members of the public into holding the Commission and its officers culpable of contrived actions of impersonators.”
The commission, however, enjoined members of the public to be circumspect in their evaluation of claims intended to drag its image into the mud.
“The EFCC has its standard operating procedures about all its activities and appropriate channels of ventilating grievances against any operation or officer of the Commission are in place,” Oyewale declared.
He then admonished that, “While the EFCC is steadfastly pursuing its mandate of ridding the nation of economic and financial crimes and other acts of corruption, well-meaning and reform-minded Nigerians should not allow their judgment of the works of the Commission to be negatively affected by the activities of these impersonators, blackmailers and fake characters using the identities of the Commission to serve their nefarious interests.”