Crime & Court
EFCC steps up war against crimes, launches ‘Eagle Eye’ App
Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Wednesday launched an online App, named Eagle Eye, designed to enable easy reporting of financial crimes by members of the public.
Speaking at the launch of the online financial reporting platform in Abuja, the nation’s capital, its Chairman, Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, warned against false information that could mislead the agency in its investigations.
Bawa declared that the full weight of the law would be brought to bear on purveyors of misleading information.
He said informants wishing to provide verifiable tips and leads to aid its investigation are free to come under the whistle blower policy of the federal government.
“It is wrong to mislead the commission. Anybody that has malicious intent in the process of giving information to us will be dealt with according to the law”, he warned .
The EFCC boss described the App, the first by any law enforcement agency in Nigeria, as a product of ingenuity by a staff of the commission.
He noted that it is an application that was conceived, designed and developed by the EFCC.
According to Bawa, the initiative is a clear demonstration of his pledge on assumption of office, to run an agency that is technology-driven.
He added, “The Eagle Eye represents a new experience in information sharing and crime reporting between the public and the EFCC.
“Apart from complementing the existing channels for reporting economic crimes, the unique advantage of this application is that it eliminates direct person-to-person interface in the reporting process and guarantees anonymity which is an added incentive to effective whistle blowing”.
He appealed to members of the public to take advantage of the App in bringing cases of corruption and economic crimes to the knowledge of the EFCC”
“With the App, those who hitherto were afraid to report corruption cases to the commission either for fear of being identified by the culprits or having their identities revealed, can now do so with the assurance of full anonymity”.
The EFCC Chief emphasised that the Eagle Eye App, would go a long way in aiding the reportage of fraudulent activities of individuals particularly in the case of money laundering through real estate.
“With the Eagle Eye, Nigerians and Non-Nigerians can easily take a picture of a property suspected to have been fraudulently or corruptly acquired and report through the app seamlessly”, he said
He noted that media practitioners occupy important positions not only in helping to bring the knowledge of the application to the public, but also making use of it and helping others to understand how it could be deployed to further the fight against economic crimes including corruption.
“With the Eagle Eye, you have at your fingertips a device that will ultimately ensure that there is no hiding place for the corrupt in Nigeria”, he further explained.
“The App is a user-friendly application with features that can be navigated by any literate person. The first step is to download it to a device from either the Apple of Google play store.
“For those who want to key into the whistle blowing policy of the federal government and obtain reward for reporting corruption, such persons should indicate in the information they are providing”.
He, however, reiterated that there are penalties clearly stipulated in the laws for giving false information that could mislead the commission
Justice Maryanne Anenih of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory has issued a public summons for former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello to appear in court to respond to a fresh 16-count indictment.
The summons requires Bello to attend court on October 24 for his arraignment, alongside co-defendants Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu.
The public summons was ordered following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In her ruling, Justice Anenih directed the EFCC to publish the summons in a widely circulated newspaper to ensure proper notification.
Also, the court instructed the EFCC to post copies of the public summons at Bello’s last known address and in conspicuous locations within the court premises.
The EFCC has reported difficulties in serving the charges, which were filed on September 24, alleging that Bello and the two co-defendants committed a criminal breach of trust involving a staggering ₦110.4 billion.
A Police Inspector, Mohammed Bulama, attached to the Police Mobile Force (PMF) 41 in Yobe State, has been arrested for allegedly killing a 39-year-old civilian, Abdulmalik Dauda, during a confrontation in Damaturu, the state capital.
The incident, which occurred on September 29, 2024, was sparked by a heated argument between Bulama and Dauda over “uncleared transactions” in the Zango area of Damaturu. The argument escalated, leading Bulama to fatally stab Dauda in the chest.
In a statement, the Yobe State Police spokesperson, Dungus Abdulkarim, confirmed Bulama’s arrest and announced that an investigation into the homicide case had been launched.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Garba Ahmed, has ordered an immediate and thorough investigation into the incident involving Inspector Mohammed Bulama,” Abdulkarim said.
He further disclosed that the officer has been placed in custody, pending internal disciplinary action and prosecution.
CP Ahmed condemned the actions of the officer, extending his condolences to the family of the victim.
He also assured the public that justice would be served swiftly in accordance with the law.
The Lagos State Police Command has summoned three officers accused of extorting N1 million from members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in the Surulere area of Lagos.
Footage of the incident, which went viral on social media late Friday, shows the officers confronting the corps members, reportedly over the absence of a physical copy of a driver’s license. The video was shared by social media user Oluyemi Fasipe, who claimed that the officers threatened the corps members with firearms and forcibly took them to the Kafaru Oluwole Tinubu House, the Area C Command of the Lagos State Police, where they allegedly extorted the sum of N1 million.
“Dear @BenHundeyin, Your officers today in Surulere extorted 1 million naira from three corps members,” Fasipe wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “They were threatened with firearms, kidnapped, and taken to the KAFARU OLUWOLE TINUBU HOUSE AREA C POLICE COMMAND of the @LagosPoliceNG where they were robbed.”
Fasipe added that the entire incident stemmed from the corps members’ inability to present a physical copy of a driver’s license, a situation he described as “evil.”
In one of the videos, the officers are seen inspecting the vehicle’s documents, with the situation escalating as additional officers arrived. One officer can be seen entering the car and demanding that the corps members stop recording the incident, while also prohibiting them from contacting their families.
In response, the spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that the officers involved have been summoned, and an investigation is underway.
“The men have been summoned, and their trial has commenced,” Hundeyin wrote on X. “We urge the complainants to visit the Complaint Response Unit at the State Headquarters to testify at the ongoing trial.”
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