Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ola Olukoyede has revealed that the anti-graft agency has uncovered how a religious sect is laundering money for terrorists in Nigeria.
Olukoyede made the revelation on Wednesday at the Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja during a one-day dialogue on “Youth, Religion, and the Fight against Corruption.”
He also said 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.
The anti-graft boss 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.
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, 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 that 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.
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