The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and Brazil have agreed to strengthen their collaboration in combating fraud, cybercrime, and a variety of transnational organized crimes that affect the economies of Brazil and Nigeria.
The EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, paid a courtesy visit to the Brazilian Embassy in Abuja on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, giving this hint.
The EFCC manager, Ricardo Guerra de Araujo, who was welcomed by the Brazilian Ambassador, expressed regret for the activities of fraudsters targeting foreigners and international companies, which he said posed a challenge to Nigeria’s reputation and efforts to attract direct foreign investment.
Bawa promised that the Commission would collaborate with the embassy to combat the threat of fraudsters, recalling the Commission’s efforts in helping to bust a Nigerian fraud syndicate that defrauded a Brazilian bank in the early 2000s.
In his remark. Ambassador Araujo noted that he has been in Nigeria long enough to know that only a few Nigerians were involved in fraudulent activities. He however expressed regret that the activities of the unscrupulous tiny minority was distracting him from his primary mission of promoting trade relationship between Nigeria and Brazil.
He therefore appealed to the EFCC to assist in checking the activities of fraudsters targeting Brazilian businesses.
Consequently, the parties agreed to strengthen law enforcement-to-law enforcement interaction by designating desk officers, to enhance the exchange of information.
The EFCC boss was accompanied on the visit by the Director of Legal and Prosecution, Chile Okoroma, Director of Operations, Abdulkarim Chukkol, among others.
