The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission also known as the EFCC is body that investigates economic and financial crimes like advance fee fraud, money laundering etc in the country.
The EFCC became popular during the tenure of President Olusegun Obasanjo as his time as President coincided with the promulgation of the EFCC (Establishment) Act in 2004. Also, the EFCC chairman at that time, Nuhu Ribadu was quite dogged in his fight against corruption.
At the time of establishing the Commission, it was empowered to prevent, investigate, prosecute and penalise economic and financial crimes. Also, the EFCC is involved in enforcing the provisions of other laws and regulations relating to economic and financial crime which include the following:
- The Money Laundering Act 1995
- The Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 1995
- 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
- The Miscellaneous Offences Act
Overall, the goal of the EFCC is to rid Nigeria of Economic and Financial Crimes and to effectively coordinate the domestic effort of the global fight against money laundering and terrorists financing. The commission is also known for the informal motto, ‘We will get you.’
At the EFCC, the Operations Department is the hub of all investigation activities. The department investigates cases such as infarctions that contravent the provisions of the Commission’s enabling law; the EFCC Act 2004 as well as the other economic and financial crime related laws. Some of these include the Money Laundering Act 2011, the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006, the Failed Banks (Recovery of Debt) and the Financial Malpractices in Banks Act and the Miscellaneous Offence Act.
Over the years, the EFCC has arrested prominent Nigerians, some of which include Alex Badeh, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko, Bala Ngilari, Emeka Mba, Femi Fani-Kayode, Jide Omokore, Lawal Jafaru Isa, Musiliu Obanikoro, Patrick Akpobolokemi, Raymond Dokpesi, Ricky Tarfa, Sambo Dasuki and Tom Ikimi
If you’re looking to visit any of the EFCC offices or you want to write a petition to the commission, you will need to include the address of the EFCC office you want to send your petition.
EFCC Offices in Nigeria & Locations
In this post, we’ve decided to help you in this process by providing a list of the EFCC offices in the country and their addresses.
We’’ll start with the head office of the EFCC which is located in Abuja in the Wuse II area. The history of this office can be traced to 2010 when the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved N18 billion for the 10-storey building on November 24, 2010. This took place during the tenure of the former president, Goodluck Jonathan.
During this period, the chairman of the commission was Farida Waziri. However, the project didn’t kick off immediately. In fact, when Waziri’s successor, Ibrahim Lamorde was in charge of the EFCC, the pace remained slow and the building couldn’t be completed until Ibrahim Magu took the reins as EFCC chairman.
This was further boosted by President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to prioritise the completion of the building as a show of his commitment to the war against corruption.
The project was said to have eventually gulped N24 billion and it was inaugurated in May 2018 by the President, Muhammad Buhari. The inauguration was attended by the likes of Yakubu Dogara, the speaker of the house of representatives and Thabo Mbeki, the former President of South Africa..
The office is located on 5 Fomella Street, Off Rockview Hotel, Wuse II. The EFCC also has a legal unit located on No 1 Ibrahim Taiwo Road, Aso Rock Villa, PMB 166, FCT Abuja.
The other EFCC offices and their addresses are also provided below:
Lagos Office | 15A Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria
Port Harcourt Office | 6A Olumeni Street, Old GRA, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
Enugu Office | Plot 106, Federal Government College Road, Independence Layout, Enugu, Nigeria
Kano Office | 2 Hajj Camp Road, Kano, Kano State, Nigeria
Gombe Office |4 EFCC Street, New GRA, Gombe, Gombe State, Nigeria
Ibadan Office | 16 Rev’d Oyebode Crescent, Iyaganku G.R.A, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
Maiduguri Office | Plot No 80 Baba Shehu Lamin Street, Opp ElKanemi College, Tudun Wada Layout
The commission also has offices in Kaduna State, Borno State, Edo State and Akwa Ibom State.
Just in case, you want to write a petition and you don’t know how to go about it, here’s a quick overview.
Step 1: address the petition to the EFCC
Your address depends on the EFCC office you are writing to. The letter must be addressed to ‘The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, followed by the address. If you’re submitting the petition at any of the zonal offices, then it should be addressed as , ‘Through the Head of Operations (insert zone)’
Step 2: information is important.
It is important you provide the commission with as much information about the issue as possible. And this starts with titling the petition appropriately. Also, everything include in the petition should be factual and as concise as possible.
Finally, the petition should be presented in a very efficient and professional manner. A good way to do this is to present the petition in a sequential or chronological manner and giving the dates, times, locations and individuals involved.
Step 3: Provide evidence
It is not enough to state facts in your petition, you should also present evidence by attaching the necessary receipts, photos, documents, numbers etc.
Step 4: Submit your evidence
After writing your petition, you should date and sign the petition after which you can submit it at the zonal or head office or even by email.
In summary, it is highly recommended to involve a lawyer in your petition writing process because lawyers generally tend to have experience writing petition.
So that’s it. It takes just 4 simple step to write a petition to the EFCC and we have highlighted them below.