**”Says the commission has secured 2800 convictions
The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
Abdulrasheed Bawa has warned Nigerian politicians to desist from vote buying as the antigraft agency would not spare any one caught selling or buying votes during the 2023 general election
Speaking yesterday at the National Assembly while fielding questions from newsmen after defending the commissions 2023 budget proposal, Bawa said, “We will continue to arrest those who specialise in votes’ buying we will work hands in gloves with INEC to achieve that.
“We will ensure that illegitimate funds do not find their way into our elections.
“The cases of those arrested during the Ekiti and Osun elections are in court, I don’t know the stages they are.
When asked about politicians waiting to get funding from foreign countries to prosecute their elections he said,
“There is an electoral act defining how election funds should be managed and who should finance election
I think that is the law of the land and Nigerians are law abiding and the EFCC is working to ensure compliance of politicians and we are working hand in gloves with INEC and other stakeholders to ensure that the laws are obeyed.”
On the new policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)to redesign the Naira he said it is a welcome development as it will help his commission to effectively monitor.
“How can you have an effective monitoring policy when you don’t have control over 85% of your currency, people are hoarding it, using it to speculate on foreign exchange and all of that.
“By this policy the government is trying to ensure that those people that are bringing back what they hoarded whether legitimately or illegitimately we will be able to monitor and the law will take its course.
On the threats by Yahoo boysto protest nationwide against the commission, he said, “These are Nigerians from my own constituency, the youthful constituency, they should join me in fighting cyber crimes. You know you are doing some things you should not do ordinarily
“We are working, it is part of our mandate to fight cyber crimes, advance fee fraud and that is what we have been doing. We are working in conformity with the law.
“As at the 22nd October this year we had succeeded in securing 2800 convictions and over 70% from cyber crimes.
He said the case of these cyber criminals is tarnishing the image of the country by the day adding that across the Atlantic people see Nigeria as Cyber crime infested country which is not.
“We are working we are not deterred, I plead with them especially this time of the election, they should stop those things as government is making effort to bring the economy back on track.