The Comptroller of Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Muazu Abdulrazaq, has said that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), activities across the country have sustained and stabilized the nation’s economy in spite of coronavirus outbreak.
He said that the fight against corruption would not have survived the day light in the country without intelligence inputs of the anti-graft agency personnel in curtailing crimes.
Abdulrazaq, who argued that the commission has tremendously achieved strides in the fight against corruption, stressed that the establishment of EFCC was an added advantage to law enforcement agencies.
The immigration boss disclosed this when he received the Enugu zonal head of the Commission, Oshodi Johnson, who paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.
Abdulrazaq, through a statement made available to newsmen, noted that there was no better time to strengthen the existing relationship between the EFCC and NIS than now, adding that the country is going through corruption-induced economic trauma.
On his part, Johnson stated that the critical roles of NIS in the fight against corruption have continued to pave way for EFCC to combat money laundry in the country.
According to him, we cannot talk of combating money laundering and other forms of capital flight in Nigeria today without mentioning the efforts of the Nigeria Immigration service.
“International passport of any foreign national, is critical in ascertaining not only the person’s identity, but also his criminal status and because of this, there is a need for all security and anti-corruption agencies to work as a team with each playing its assigned role,” he said.
Also, the Enugu deputy zonal head of the EFCC, Aliu Naibi, commended the NIS for its assistance to the EFCC in document verifications and noted that there was a need to put in place, a technology that would verify those who truly lost their passports and those who are on the run from law enforcement agencies, such as the EFCC.
Abdulrazaq disclosed that the NIS already had the technology and that anyone who has been reported by law enforcement agencies as having committed any crime, is usually flagged while seeking for a new passport, adding that the request of the Commission for the NIS to first cross-check with the EFCC before re-issuance of any lost passport would be transmitted to NIS’ head office for attention.
