Lagos now tops states with the highest number of money laundering cases in Nigeria, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said on Tuesday, January 7.
According to the acting chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, Rivers state comes second in the rating. Speaking with journalists in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers state, he expressed optimism that the judgement barring the agency from investigating state governors in alleged economic crimes would soon be thrown out by the court.
“Nothing is going to stop us, even the issue of the court order allegedly obtained by Dr Peter Odili and co to stop the EFCC from investigation and prosecution has been overtaken by event even though the matter is still at the supreme we on it,” he said.
The Nation reports Magu as noting that Rivers has such a high level of money laundering cases because of the huge oil deposit in the state.
He further promised that the commission would do its best to ensure that such cases are reduced. “I think Rivers state is the next to Lagos in terms of crime.
EFCC names Lagos, Rivers states with highest number of money laundering cases.
This is the headquarter of money laundering, because there is a lot of oil money, bunker money here. “I think you can rate Port Harcourt the second to maybe Lagos when you talk of people playing with sinking, diving, hiding, maybe because of the large space of oil deals," he said.
While noting that the matter the EFCC has with Peter Odili, a former governor of Rivers state, has been on for 13 years, Magu promised that the case, which is at the Supreme Court, would be followed up.
“That decision that is pending in the Supreme Court does not actually, cannot hold water again. There are subsequent judgement that has discarded it. “Clearly, there are other judgement that came up and said nobody, not even the judge, not even the judiciary, not even the court can stop us from investigating and prosecuting,” Magu said.
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