The acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr Ibrahim Magu, has accused some bank staff of sabotaging the efforts of the commission to fight corruption in the country.
The EFCC boss, who revealed that some bank staff are in the habit of informing their customers when it places ‘Post No Debit Order’ on their accounts, called on banks to ensure a proper monitoring of their staff in order to prevent “insider abuse”
Magu stated this at the weekend during an interactive session with regional compliance officers of commercial banks in Gombe, Gombe State capital.
The EFCC boss, who was represented at the event by the Gombe Zonal Head of the EFCC, Mr Michael Wetkas, noted that banks were important to the anti-corruption war, adding that it was for this reason that the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004 reserved some sections for financial institutions.
He said: “Within the banking industry, there are actions which deliberately sabotage our efforts and such are unacceptable to the commission.
“Some banks’ staff are in the habit of going behind the commission to notify customers whose accounts are placed on Post-No-Debit Order (frozen), aiding and abetting crime and obstructing the wheel of justice, instead of assisting the commission as stipulated by law.
“Banks must endeavour to always activate the ‘Know Your Customer’ requirement by verifying the addresses of their customers before opening any account in order not to give room for fraudsters to open accounts for illicit or fraudulent transactions.”