Ola Olukoyede, chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, has revealed that the anti-graft agency uncovered how a religious sect in Nigeria is laundering money for terrorists.
He also revealed that another religious body was found to be protecting a money launderer after some money suspected to have been laundered was traced to the organisation’s bank account.
Speaking during a public engagement on youth, religion, and the fight against corruption, as well as the launch of the fraud risk assessment project for ministries, departments, and agencies, Olukoyede stated that the EFCC was investigating a N13bn fraud case when it discovered that N7bn of the N13bn was linked to a religious body’s bank account.
He noted that religious organisations, institutions, sects, and bodies have been found culpable of money laundering.
Olukoyede said, “A religious sect in this country had been found to be laundering money for terrorists.”
He, however, noted that the religious organisation quickly obtained a restraining order to prevent the EFCC from probing its leaders.
“We were able to trace some laundered money to a religious organisation, and 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 said.
Olukoyede further said the commission will not give up on the investigation as it is appealing the restraining order to recover the stolen funds.
The one-day event is aimed at addressing the challenges of youth involvement in cybercrimes and how religion could be used as a weapon for their reorientation.
The event, themed “Youth, Religion and the Fight Against Corruption,” featured the launch of the Interfaith Preaching and Teaching Manual developed by the Interfaith Anti-Corruption Advisory Committee of the Commission as a resource to promote abhorrence for corruption among adherents of Islam and Christianity.
The EFCC’s Fraud Risk Assessment Prevention and Control Project for Ministries, Departments and Agencies was also launched at the event.
