Reps member supports EFCC, ICPC merger

Posted by admin EFCC Politics, House, Legislature Wednesday, July 6th, 2011

A member of the House of Representatives, Honourable Zakari Mohammed, on Tuesday, said that the suggestions by the Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, to merge the country’s anti-corruption agencies, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), was a welcome development that if carried out, would strengthen the country’s fight against corruption.

Adoke, who is also the Attorney-General of the Federation, had last week, during his screening at the Senate, suggested that the anti-graft agencies be merged to make them more effective, saying the agencies were lacking the capacity to investigate and prosecute economic crimes.

But in an interview with the Nigerian Tribune, Hon Mohammed, a former Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development, who now represents Baruten/Kaima Federal constituency, said merging the anti-graft agencies would make them more proactive and efficient in fighting the corruption war.

According to him, “I believe merging EFCC and ICPC will reduce government’s overhead costs and as well make the two agencies more proactive and efficient.”

Adoke had said at his screening for another ministerial term that, “Most of our anti-corruption agencies lack the capacity to do thorough investigations. They lack capacity to collate evidences to sustain a charge and secure conviction in court and until we properly reform these agencies, we will continue to experience the problems we are experiencing today.”

-Vanguardwp_posts