Security experts weigh in on EFCC’S plan to probe security agencies

...DHQ says EFCC has its mandate

The recent declaration by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the finances of military and security agencies, has continued to elicit mixed reactions from security experts, and other stakeholders.

Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu had, at a recent stakeholders forum at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, given indication of extending investigations to security circles.

Businessday recalls that

EFCC had carried out an investigation of the $2.1 billion arms purchase deal in the military, leading to the ongoing prosecution of a former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), ex-chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu (rtd), among others.

At a time, the trials of the aforementioned were still going on, the EFCC’S planned investigation has continued to generate mixed reactions.

Speaking on the development, a former director of SSS, Mike Ejiofor, said a deliberate attempt to begin to investigate the security agencies will not only affect the operations of the agencies, but will cause bad blood betweentheefccandother security agencies.

While wondering who will audit the EFCC, considering that there are also some bad eggs within its fold, he said, the public will certainly be interested in getting answers to it.

Nonetheless, Ejiofor acknowledged the mandate of the anti-graft agency to fight corruption, noting the conviction of a former Inspector General of Police, IGP, Tafa Balogun, among others.

“Nobody is stopping the EFCC from investigating any of the security agencies so that statement from their chairman is uncalled for and it’s unfortunate. It’s going to bring a lot of bad blood. Am aware that EFCC convicted an Inspector General of Police (IGP)TAFA Balogun. The National Security Adviser (NSA) is under investigation and they are so many top military officers involved in the $2.1billion arms deal and nobody has stopped them.

Also speaking on the development, executive director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC), Auwal Rafsanjanni, expressed doubts over the capacity and “political will” of thecommissiontoundertake the investigation, especially of service chiefs, who are still on the saddle.

Like Ejiofor, Rafsanjani conceded to the investigative power of the EFCC, by virtue of the act establishing it, as seen in the arms procurement contract.

He wondered why the commission will be announcing this now, even as trials continued.

“What I don’t know is whether EFCC will be able to conclude the investigations and then prosecute those who are found guilty especially under the current regime. In the previous regime they have done that. That is why Sambo Dasuki is facing prosecuting and so many of them who have diverted funds meant for security sector,” he said.

On his part, another analyst, Ben Okezie, said the planned enquiry was long overdue as, according to him, there was nothing wrong with it.

“A lot of fraud has gone into many claims (projects) and then they are not justified. It is when there is accountability that you know that something is justified. A country that goes spending without anybody checking how the money is been spent will not make progress.

A lot has gone wrong because nobody is checking. You will see someone who retired as a police commissioner and he has several plots of land and other properties. Where did he make the money from? These things should be checked.