Church Placed Under Investigation – EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has revealed that it has linked a Nigerian church to a total of N7 billion that is allegedly the profits of money laundering for terrorists.

During a one-day discussion on “Youth, Religion, and the Fight against Corruption,” held at the Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja on Wednesday, EFCC chairman Ola Olukoyede disclosed the information.Olukoyede claimed that a number of the nation’s religious institutions, groups, organizations, and bodies were supporting terrorists and con artists.

The commission’s chairman clarified that when looking into a N13 billion scam, they discovered the N7 billion connection. He refrained from revealing the name of the religious institution engaged, but an anti-agency source disclosed that it was a church. Throughout the investigation, the religious organization got a restraining order that prevented the EFCC from looking into the subject further, posing legal obstacles to the agency.

Olukoyede called for a shift in approach, expressing concern over the commission’s efforts not being enough to stop the rise in financial crimes and corruption.

He emphasized that the anti-graft approach needs to be reevaluated with an emphasis on prevention in accordance with the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).

Olukoyede underlined the significance of tackling young participation in cybercrimes as well as MDAs’ vulnerability to grand corruption. The head of the EFCC called for messages that encourage contentment and discourage corrupt activities among their members in order to encourage religious and faith leaders to contribute to the fight against corruption.