The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has fired back at critics questioning its legitimacy, saying they’re merely trying to “derail” the agency’s efforts.
Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC’s Director of Public Affairs, on Monday, expressed shock and concern over the suit challenging the commission’s constitutionality, given Nigeria’s pervasive corruption problem.
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Uwujaren emphasized that the EFCC’s establishment followed due process in the National Assembly.
“I am worried that with the kind of problem we have with corruption in this country, some people will go to court to challenge the legality of EFCC,” he said in an interview with Channels Television.
The controversy surrounds a suit filed by Attorney’s-General of 16 States, arguing that the National Assembly failed to adhere to Section 12 of the 1999 Constitution when enacting the EFCC law in 2004.
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They claim the EFCC Act cannot be applied to states without their consent.
Olisa Agbakoba, former Nigerian Bar Association President, has also questioned the EFCC’s constitutional establishment.
However, Uwujaren urged Nigerians to reject the move, stating, “What you see playing out today is simply people who are feeling the heat of the work of the EFCC, and they simply want to derail what is going on within the EFCC. They see EFCC as a threat.”
The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for October 22 to address the suit.
Uwujaren further pleaded with Nigerians to, “See through the gimmick of those behind the suit… oppose it, because I don’t see how this country can survive without the EFCC with the kind of corruption problem we have.”
The EFCC was established on December 12, 2002, under former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.
