Thinking of submitting reporting a financial crime to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)? It is important to know what your petition must contain.
They include a suitable title that summarizes the content of the report at a glance; the body of complaints should be brief and factual with all relevant evidence.
The Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC) is stepping up its game in its determination to fight financial crimes in Nigeria.
As such, the anti-graft agency made available several ways for Nigerian residents to report crimes related to embezzlement, online financial crime among others
Our View:
Be careful on the kind of petition you file. If you file a malicious petition, the hunter may become the hunted. You may land in EFCC cell, have evidence and supporting valid documents
In a situation whereby you’ve already been scammed by a fellow Nigerian, you can petition EFCC to take action so that others do not make the same mistake you made
We’ll also highlight some of the important things you need to put into consideration before filling and sending your petition to the anti-graft agency. We’ll also come up with a sample of a petition to the EFCC.
You want to be one of the whistleblowers of EFCC, read on as this post contains everything you need to know on how to write a petition to an anti-graft agency in Nigeria.
What does EFCC do?
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is Nigeria’s most fearful anti-graft agency by online criminals, and corrupt politicians because it is empowered by an Act to: prosecute, investigate, and charge to court anyone who is involved himself in fraudulent activities or someone who has questions to answer in relation to financial impropriety.
Some of its duties include:
- The Act establishing EFCC mandates it to combat financial and economic crimes.
- It is also empowered to investigate financial fraud
- It is empowered to prosecute financial crimes
- EFCC can also penalise economic and financial crimes.
Some of the Acts legalising the duties of EFCC as listed above include
- EFCC Act 2004
- The Money Laundering Act 1995
- The Money Laundering (Prohibition) act 2004
- The Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 1995
- The Failed Banks (Recovery of Debts) and Financial Malpractices in Banks Act 1994
- The Banks and other Financial Institutions Act 1991; and
- Miscellaneous Offences Act
Who you can petition
You can blow the whistle to EFCC if you know any politician in your LG, State, or at the FG level who has been embezzled or been involved in financial fraud provided you have stronger evidence.
1) Head of institutions (colleges of education, polytechnic, university) can be investigated if he has mismanaged the institution’s funds
2) Head of your community can be investigated
3) You can file a petition to the EFCC if you know any online fraudsters in your neighbourhood.
4) You can also file a petition or blow the whistle against any official of the anti-graft agency who misrepresented the agency by reporting to a special office dedicated to handling such cases, in this case you need to have most of the strongest evidence so that such petition doesn’t bounce on you the writer.
5) You can also blow the whistle to EFCC if you know someone who has been impersonating the agency to dupe the general public.
Simply put, what we’re saying here is that anyone can be investigated by the EFCC in as much is a financial crime.
I’m sure you won’t be reporting a case of stealing of phone or car to EFCC, please note that police is empowered to handle cases relating to stealing.
Points to consider in your petition to EFCC
One thing about the petition is that it has helped to correct some anomalies in society. So, crafting and submitting a petition to the EFCC isn’t just enough. Here are the points to guide you before proceeding on submitting a petition
- Develop your argument
- Know the correct name of the person to be investigated
- Proper Address
- Write a statement that frames your goals
- Prepare references for your petition
- Add a brief summary of your petition
- Call to action
- Be concise
- Make your petition readable
- Edit your petition for spelling and figure errors
- Signatures
- Sending and submitting your petition
Develop your argument:
Make sure you have researched and you are in possession of enough evidence because that will help EFCC in its work, it doesn’t work on rumour or assumption.
Know the correct name of the person to be investigated:
Make sure you know the correct and full name of the person you want EFCC to investigate.
Don’t abbreviate name, or use initials mention the full name and title of the person involved.
For instance:
If the person you want EFCC to investigate is the Head of a department in a polytechnic, say his full name, the faculty, and the department.
Proper Address
Addressing your petition to the appropriate office goes a long way in determining the success of your petition.
For instance:
Descriptive area: Opposite Isabit Plaza
House no: No.5,
Street: Ijadun Street,
Local council:Lagoos LGA,
Town/city: Ismit
State: Embassy State
If your petition would be sent to the EFCC headquarters in FCT, Abuja, then here is how to address it to the office:
The Executive Chairman,
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
5, Fomella Street,
Off Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent,
Wuse 2, Abuja.
If your petition is passing through any of the EFCC’s zonal offices in Nigeria, then check the sample below:
The Executive Chairman, EFCC
Through the Head of Operations Lagos
No. 15A, Awolowo Road,
Ikoyi, Lagos.
Lagos, if you’re writing from Lagos. Check our EFCC offices in one of our earlier posts.
Write a statement that frames your goals
According to a WikiHow guide, you need to develop a clear and specific statement of your goal.
In EFCC’s case, your petition should be precise, concise and contains the appropriate information that will assist the commission in carrying our its job.
Prepare references for your petition
You also need to prepare a reference for your petition to the anti-graft agency to give it a flesh, if you have one.
Support your petition with additional information so that EFCC can be sure it is valid.
Add a brief summary of your petition:
Under your petition goal statement, it would be great to briefly describe the nature of the issue you are reporting.
Call to action
What exactly do you want the EFCC to do in your petition? You need to propose a call to attention for it to address the issue.
Example of a call to action you can use in your petition is:
“We demand that the Chairman of EFCC investigate how the VC spent the allocation from FG from 2016 to 2018.”
Be concise:
Go straight to your point. You don’t need to greet or ask the head of EFCC if he has eaten.
Make your petition readable
Adding a few bullet points or numbers can make your petition more clear and interesting to read.
Edit your petition for spelling and figure errors:
Since EFCC entertains financial crime-related petitions, it’s definitely certain that you will be mentioning some figure in your petition.
It is very important that you check and cross-check the figure so that your petition to EFCC doesn’t contain contradicting figures.
Sending your petition:
So you’re done with your petition? It’s time to send. But how do you send your petition to EFCC? By hand? By email?
You can use both means to send your petition to the anti-graft agency, using any of the zonal offices spread across the country.
Whichever means you’re using, it very important to keep a copy for yourself in case.
Signatures
At the end of your petition append your signature and your name. If it’s a group petition then others will have to write their names and append their signatures with the petition.
It is very important to include your name, phone number, contact address and your full name. The anti-graft agency may need to follow up.
How to avoid landing in EFCC custody as a petitioner?
Don’t write a malicious petition
Have evidence
Four Major Ways To Submit Petition To EFCC
- Report crime on EagleEye App
- Social media platforms
- Online Submission Form
- Sending Letter to EFCC
If you a foreigner working in Nigeria, it’s imperative to know what the commission does and how it works.
Submit Petition Online
The online form has three important sections:
- Section A: Case Details
- Section B: Report Details
- Section C: Informant’s details
The most required sections are A and B, for section C, you may decide to live it and remain anonymous
- So, to begin, head straight to https://www.eagleeye.efcc.gov.ng
- Click next button, wait till you are being redirected (it takes only a few seconds)
- On the online form, below are the requirements:
- Case details against the alleged suspect
- Select state where the suspect resides
- Enter the address correctly including the house number, street, LGA, State
- Under the report description, be precise as much as possible.
- In section C, you want enter your details if you want to be identified, leave it out if you want to be anonymous.
- And hit submit
Report Financial Crime on EagleEye EFFC App
- Head straight to the App Store, search for EagleEye, and download App
- Launch it and click “Next”
- Click “Report Case/Incidence”
- Allow then app to access photos and medial files on your device in a situation whereby you need to upload some files to back up your petition
- Follow the process of submitting a case form under online means above
- And hit submit
Social Media Platforms
To report a financial crime to Nigeria’s anti-graft agency on social media like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook:
- Login to your Facebook account
- On the search button, search for officialefcc
- Click the “Message” button, compose your message including the details mentioned above and send a direct message to the agency
Note: Don’t put your life at great risk by publicly sending your case file on a public post of the commission
Verified Social Media Handles of EFCC
- Facebook: @officialefcc (facebook.com/officialefcc/)
- Twitter: @OfficialEFCC (twitter.com/OfficialEFCC)
- Email: info@efccnigeria.org
Hotline +234 99 044 000 Or +234 8093322644
Sending Letter to EFCC
This is the last message, which is considered old and archaic, but if you still want to use this method, see the guide below:
EFCC petition sample
Disclaimer: The EFCC petition template provided below is for informational purpose, it is not targeted at anyone or local government or state in Nigeria or any part of the World. Any coincidence is regretted.
Title: Request for an Investigation into the Financial Activities of Dabolu LGA, Isasa State
November 22, 2018
The Executive Chairman,
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
5, Fomella Street,
Off Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent,
Wuse 2, Abuja.
Intro: I am petitioning for an investigation into how the Chairman of Dabolu Local Government Area in Isasa State spent the Federal allocation for the month of October 2018.
Body of your petition: Should contain valid points and straight to the point, including the amount, and how it was spent, if contract was ridiculous inflated, mention it.
Conclusion: I have enclosed receipts from the procurement unit.
Sincerely,
Odimi Igbaloyemi
123 Old Isasa Road,
Great Street
Dabolu LGA, Isasa State
Email: odiigb@you.com
Phone: 080122…..
Our view:
Petition letter to EFCC is one of the ways you can support the present whistleblowing policy which is one of the ways to curb corruption menace in Nigeria.
How long does it take EFCC to approve a petition after submission?
It may be difficult to specifically state how long it takes EFCC to respond to petitions. What we do know is that the complexity of a petition determines the duration of its investigation.
Usually, when EFCC receives a petition, it embarks on thorough investigation, gathers its facts right, and seeks the right legal advice from its legal team in order to ensure the success of the case.
EFCC Offices in Nigeria
If you have a petition to submit before Nigeria’s leading anti-graft agency, here are the EFCC phone numbers and its contact details.
EFCC Phone numbers
0809 332 2644
094604613
Below are the EFCC offices spread across all geo-political zones in Nigeria. In some cases, the anti-graft agency has more than one office in a geopolitical zone.
- Abuja
- Lagos
- Ibadan
- Kaduna
- Enugu
- Port Harcourt
- Kano
- Gombe
- Borno
- Edo
- Akwa Ibom State
Corporate headquarters:
The corporate headquarters of EFCC is located at:
Plot 301/302, Institution and Research Cadastral District
Jabi.
Abuja
Nigeria
Abuja Office
No. 5, Fomella Street, Off Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent,
Wuse II,
Abuja,
Nigeria.
Lagos Office:
No. 15A, Awolowo Road,
Ikoyi,
Lagos,
Nigeria.
River State office
6A Olumeni Street
Old GRA,
Port Harcourt,
Rivers State
Nigeria
Enugu State:
Plot 106 Federal Government Collage Road,
Independence Layout,
Enugu,
Nigeria.
Kano State
No 2 Hajj Camp Road,
Kano,
Kano State,
Nigeria.
Gombe State:
No. 4 EFCC Street,
New G.R.A,
Gombe,
Gombe State,
Nigeria.
Oyo State Office in Ibadan, Oyo State
16 A, Reverend Oyebode Crescent,
Iyaganku,
Ibadan
Oyo State
Nigeria.
Kaduna State Office:
No. 4 Wurno Road,
Badarawa
Kaduna
Kaduna State
Nigeria
Borno State:
Plot No. 80 Babashehu Lami Street,
Opposite Ekanemi College,
Tatun Wada Layout
Borno State
Nigeria
Edo State
No. 1 High Court Road,
GRA
Benin
Nigeria
Akwa Ibom State:
No 3 Akparawa Crescent
Off Edet Akpan Avenue (Four Lane)
Ewet Housing, Uyo
Uyo
Akwa Ibom State
Nigeria
Corporate Headquarters of EFCC
Plot 301/302, Institution and Research Cadastral District
Jabi.
Abuja
Nigeria
Sokoto State
No 7, Super Quarters Rd, off Sama Rd, Sokoto
Sokoto
Nigeria.
Kwara State:
No 1 Catchment close, off forest road, GRA
Kwara
Nigeria
EFCC Office in Benue State
Plot 193, Gondu Aluor Rd, Old GRA, Markud
Benue
Nigeria
Final thought:
Submitting a petition to Nigeria’s anti-graft agency is a good way to reduce financial crimes in Nigeria, but the world is watching as lawmakers and other politicians continue with projects on the pages of newspapers.
The question Nigerians are asking is: When will EFCC beam its searchlight on the activities of politicians who are the remote cause of the present joblessness that exposes young graduates to all forms of online crimes?
We expect the commission to do better
Hello sir, I was defrauded of NGN2m
Hello sir
My name is JIMOH ADESHINA OLAWALE
am from oyo state reside in NNEWI ANAMBRA STATE
I was defraud by two difference account
1:- EVHOESOR AUGUSTINA 0113949141 GTB #55,000
2:- ZEKERI YUSUF 0693731609 ACCESS BANK #10
bcos I ordered for JUKI INDUSTRIAL SEWING MACHINE from NCS
oooh, sorry about that Jimoh. Follow the procedure in this guide.
Goodmorning, I submitted a petition on a case of dud cheques to Abuja office since 28th July and no response till date. Pls help. Its over 7m.
I was scammed too
I am planning to report to efcc with petition letter,
Would they return my money
It 36,500 naira
Do you have the account number you paid the money into?
Assuming you were scammed does effcc return the money retrieved to you or it goes to the agency?
There has never been a reported case of EFCC returning the money back to the owner, most times the suspect would claim he had spent the money. EFCC will only try to prosecute or bring the perpetrator to justice to serve as a deterrent to others in the evil act. In instances where EFCC seized exotic cars from them, such are auctioned and money is forfeited to the federal government.
However, we encourage you to report to EFCC so that others will not fall victim.
Hello sir
My name is chidimma okafor am from Anambra state I was fraud today with this bank account with my hard earn money twenty thousands naira 20,000
Account no:2131007262
Account name:Arewe Evelyn
Bank name: UBA