Customs, WCO engage EFCC to tackle money laundering, terrorism financing
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the World Customs Organization (WCO) have sought stronger collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to tackle money laundering and terrorism financing in Nigeria.
The renewed push for cooperation followed a courtesy visit to the EFCC headquarters in Jabi, Abuja, on Tuesday by a delegation led by the Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, Headquarters, M.S. Shuaibu.
The delegation said the engagement was aimed at strengthening existing collaboration and identifying areas requiring improvement in Nigeria’s Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) framework.
Shuaibu commended the EFCC for sustaining its longstanding relationship with the Customs Service and called for stronger cooperation in the discharge of their respective mandates.
“The EFCC mandate as the lead agency in combating economic and financial crimes has been remarkable. We are here to engage in existing collaboration to identify what is working and what needs improvement,” he said.
He said the engagement would focus on case management, intelligence sharing and operational cooperation to improve understanding of Nigeria’s AML/CFT framework, the WCO’s perspective and recommended international best practices.
Responding, EFCC Executive Chairman Ola Olukoyede, who was represented by the Secretary to the Commission, Mohammad Hammajoda, appreciated the longstanding relationship between the two agencies, particularly in tackling money laundering.
Hammajoda said Nigeria’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force’s grey list followed efforts by the EFCC and other agencies to strengthen the country’s anti-money laundering framework.
