If you have ever wanted to petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate anyone and you couldn’t, because you don’t know how to go about it, or you need information about the processes required to successfully submit your petition and have it acted upon, this article is for you, because it will lead you through the steps you need to follow to register your complaint. Check out How To Get Back Your Money After Online Scam.
An overview of EFCC
In Nigeria, as in all countries, there are government-setup agencies that oversee financial issues to ensure people to engage in shady deals.
Here, in Nigeria, the EFCC is one of those bodies created by the government to investigate, indict and prosecute individuals found guilty of extortion and money laundering.
Since its creation in 2007, it has become a falcon that pries on all things relating financial transactions in public and private sectors.
While the EFCC is equipped enough to detect financial crimes on its own, it also relies on peoples’ assistance in drawing its attention to organizations and individuals suspected of engaging in fraud or any other economic crimes.
As an individual, you can petition the EFCC in an event of a business transaction with someone where the person entered business with you under false pretence. Check out How to Track a phone number in Nigeria for Free.
How to report a person to EFCC
While avenues through which you can report someone to the EFCC abounds, there is one easy way by which you can speedily reach out to them, and it is by a phone call to the body’s Department of Internal Affairs on 094604628, or via infor@efcc.org.
To make it easy for you, here is a guide that will enable you craft a well-structured petition.
1. Address the petition to the EFCC
For your petition to be given attention, it must be properly addressed to the receiver, the EFCC, through its chairman. At this level, ensure that the petition is properly christened, with the headline summarizing the content of your petition, as with newspaper headlines.
For instance, “Non Execution of Contract Awarded” could be a good headline if you are petitioning a contractor who failed to execute a contract after receiving payment. The letter should be submitted at 5, Formella Street, Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja.
2. Provide details of your report
In your petition, ensure that you provide as much information as available to you. This is because, the agency will require a lot of details about the issue to enable it decide whether the allegation is strong enough to warrant investigation.
To draw attention to your petition, you must be constructive and proficient in your writing, providing information about the sequence of events, including date, time, places and the people involved.
3. Show evidence where necessary
For the stature of EFCC and the numbers of cases it investigates, your complaint must be based with compelling evidence to stand the chance of being looked into. You must backup your complaint with proofs. These may include receipts, reports, photographs, numbers and any other evidence you may have.
Note that, while you reserve to right to petition EFCC, you must ensure that you have genuine reason to do so, in order to not land yourself in trouble by making false accusations against anyone.
4. Get legal support
Before you submit a petition, ensure you gain the services of a legal advisor or lawyer to guide you on the right path. His job, basically, is to help you digest the content of your petition, not as an expert in petition writing, but as someone who could bring out certain important facts about your case.
5. Submit your petition
The petition should be submitted at 5, Formella Street, Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja or Any of its offices nationwide, after you must have signed and incorporated date the petition is to be transferred.
Conclusion
With the knowledge you have now, you can petition the EFCC to investigate an issue, it is expected that you will not hesitate to follow the guideline, should you need to. Always ensure you follow up on your petition so as to get the desired feedback and result.