This commitment was reaffirmed on Friday in Lagos when the Vice Chairman of the NBA Lagos Branch, James Sonde, led a delegation on a courtesy visit to the office of the Acting Zonal Director, Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE I Ahmed Ghali.
Sonde, who also serves as Chairman of the NBA Human Rights Committee, commended the EFCC for its sustained fight against corruption and financial crimes, noting the need for both organisations to work together on a joint capacity-building programme to help foster a “compliant society.”
“The NBA Lagos Branch is the largest in Nigeria. We need to organise joint training programmes so we can build a more compliant society. We are not here to hinder your investigations or arrests; rather, we want to better understand how you carry out your mandate. We also want to know how suspects in your custody are treated,” he said.
He added that the partnership being proposed with the EFCC aims to create a better society and promote a more effective and seamless working environment.
Receiving the delegation on behalf of Ghali, the Zonal Head of the Legal Department, Deputy Commander of the EFCC, Deborah Ademu-Eteh, expressed appreciation for the visit and commended the NBA’s continued interest in the Commission’s activities.
She assured the delegation of the EFCC’s willingness to collaborate in the identified areas, noting: “Preventing corruption is central to our work. One of our strategic objectives is to increase public engagement in the fight against economic and financial crimes. We run several enlightenment programmes targeted at pupils, students, NYSC members, and religious groups.”
Also speaking, the Zonal Head of Capital Market and Insurance Fraud, Adaran Olapade Cosmas, responded to concerns raised about the treatment of suspects in the EFCC’s custody. He stressed that the Commission upholds the rule of law at all times.
“We conduct diligent investigations before making any arrest, and we ensure that administrative bail is granted to suspects. Whenever it becomes necessary to keep a suspect in custody, we obtain a court order. The rights of suspects are respected, and they are treated with dignity,” he said.
