Fighting financial crime in Nigeria

“An important way to make a difference in people’s lives is to fight corruption and crime,” says Mr Abhay, a former Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation expert based at Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Training and Research Institute. He believes the West African country has great promise and potential and can achieve greater heights if corruption and economic and financial crime can be reined in.

Mr Abhay, who goes by just one name, was posted to Nigeria for a two-year assignment from September 2007 following a request by the Nigerian Government for CFTC assistance to help tackle corruption. At that time, the country scored just 2.7 out of 10 in Transparency International’s survey of perceptions of corruption worldwide.

Mr Abhay, an Indian national, trained more than 200 investigators, law enforcers and prosecutors at the EFCC Training and Research Institute, as well as officials from other enforcement agencies. “Each of them is and will be using the new knowledge and skills in his or her professional life,” he says.

The EFCC was founded in 2004 with powers to prosecute those guilty of financial and economic crimes. It works on areas including ‘advance fee fraud’ – in which victims pay in advance for a service that is never provided – and bank fraud, as well as economic governance and other related crimes.

Mr Abhay worked with the EFCC Training and Research Institute’s professional trainers to train others in the prevention, detection and prosecution of financial wrongdoing in line with international best practices. His task was to implement the findings of a recent training needs assessment on areas for skills development. Mr Abhay’s remit included mentoring teaching staff, advising the institute’s director on designing and managing training programmes, and preparing training manuals that are kept up to date with developments in criminal techniques.

“The most satisfying aspect of the assignment has been teaching and coaching young investigators and prosecutors,” he says. “Many of them are committed to changing the image of their country, and some of their enthusiasm and commitment definitely rubs off on people like us.”

For each course, Mr Abhay worked closely with his colleagues, a young investigator and a prosecutor, who were to continue his work after his departure in September 2009. “They make up for any lack of experience with their energy, enthusiasm and idealism. Seeing their commitment, I am confident that they will carry the work forward with requisite institutional support,” he adds.

Mr Abhay was formerly the Inspector-General of Police in the Indian state of Orissa, where he was also responsible for anti-corruption activities, including contributing to the drafting of Orissa’s Anti-Corruption Action Plan. From 1996 to 2003, he worked in India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), including a role supervising and reviewing prosecutions of high-value bank frauds. From 2001 to 2003, Mr Abhay headed the CBI.

To make the best use of his knowledge and experience in the Nigerian context, Mr Abhay learned about local practices in law enforcement, investigation and prosecution. “Investigation is essentially a local function,” he explains.

“To investigate a case of inexplicable wealth, an investigator needs to know laws, rules and practices, not only when it comes to corruption and crime, but also in a number of other areas – the purchase and sale of property and vehicles, establishing and dissolving companies, dealing on the stock exchange, the code of conduct for public officials, income tax and so on.”

Beyond this, adds Mr Abhay, investigators must learn cultural and social practices that affect consumption, spending, investment and the presentation of gifts. To understand these norms in the Nigerian context was one of Mr Abhay’s first challenges in designing courses for the institute. “I have learned new ways of looking at things and new ways of doing things, and to see things in a comparative perspective,” he says.

After two years of the posting, Mr Abhay is confident that “we have developed substantial capacity for investigation and prosecution.”

Secretariat Links:

• About the CFTC
• Country Profile: Nigeria