The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has traced the sum of N7 billion suspected to be proceeds of money laundering, to a religious organisation.
The Commission added that it had also uncovered the financial activities of a religious sect in the country that bordered on laundering money for terrorists.
The Chairman of the Commission, Ola Olukoyede, who revealed this while speaking during a public engagement on youth, religion, and the fight against corruption, said that the EFCC was investigating a N13bn fraud case when it found out that the N7billion of the N13bn was linked to a religious body’s bank account.
The event, themed, “Youth, Religion and the Fight Against Corruption,” featured the launching of the Interfaith Preaching and Teaching Manual developed by the Interfaith Anti-corruption Advisory Committee of the Commission.
The one–day event sought to address the challenges of youth involvement in cybercrimes and how religion could be used as a weapon for their reorientation.
Olukoyede said, “We were investigating a ₦13bn money laundering case when we discovered that N7billion of the N13bn was linked to a religious organisation’s bank account.”
At the occasion which was also used to launch the EFCC fraud risk assessment project for ministries, departments, and agencies, the anti – graft agency boss, however, noted that the religious organisation quickly ran to court and obtained a restraining order to scuttle the EFCC’s efforts at probing its leaders.
“When we approached the religious organisation about it and we were carrying out our investigation, we got a restraining order stopping us from carrying out our investigation,” he added.
Olukoyede further said the commission will not shy away from resuming investigation on the matter as it is appealing the restraining order to recover the stolen funds.
