The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and the Western Australia Police are to work together to combat internet fraud and money laundering. This is contained in the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU signed on Tuesday by the parties under the sponsorship of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
According to s statement by EFCC Head of Media, Wilso Uwujiaren, the latest collaboration between the EFCC and the Major Fraud Squad, MFS of the WA Police is a further demonstration of the commitment of the EFCC towards the eradication of economic and financial crimes in Nigeria.
Ibrahim Lamorde, chairman of the EFCC during the ceremony said that the Commission was committed to riding the country and the sub-region of economic and financial crimes.
Lamorde, who commended the Western Australia Police, said the partnership became imperative as financial and economic crimes remain a monster in the world.
“Through cooperation of this kind, crime fighting agencies can overcome the hurdle of their investigations stopping at international borders. By working with the Western Australia Police and other police forces throughout the world, the EFCC hopes to increase its capacity to track down and prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes and reduce the financial impact on their victims.”
The Officer -in -Charge of the Major Fraud Squad, MFS, Detective Senior Sergeant Dom Blackshaw said the agreement will pave the way for the two agencies to work more closely to combat online fraud and international cybercrime.
“This partnership provides the basis for a higher level of cooperation which will mean that both agencies will share evidence and information on investigations and prosecutions,” he said.
He added that part of the agreement will lead to exchange of personnel. “There is also a commitment by both agencies to improve investigation skills and EFCC members will be seconded to work with the MFS during 2014. This will give further opportunity to cement the relationship between WA and Nigeria and put us in a better position to identity and prosecute offenders.”
In his remarks, Tim Newman, the acting director of the Governance and Institutional Development Division at the Commonwealth Secretariat said the agreement was a fine example of the strategic importance of the Commonwealth
“The Commonwealth Secretariat is pleased to be able to set up networks between like-minded agencies in member states to enable them to share information, experience and expertise for their mutual benefit,” Newman said; adding that , “In this case, we have aligned two agencies with common objectives to join forces to combat transnational crime.”
Commissioner for Consumer Protection, Anne Driscoll posited that international cooperation was the key to winning the war on cybercrime. “The proof of the benefits of international cooperation came earlier this year with the arrest of a Nigerian man by the EFCC with regard to a real estate fraud attempt here in Western Australia,” she said.
The collaboration between the Major Fraud Squad, MFS of the WA Police and the EFCC is the latest for Nigeria’s foremost anti-graft agency and its foreign counterparts. Other agencies which the EFCC collaborate in its efforts to eradicate economic and financial crimes are London Metropolitan Police, US Federal Bureau of Investigation and Royal Canadian Mounted Police.