..we’ve traced $1.5m today
… it’s difficult to run NFIU with only 200 staff
…agency needs N125m to purchase computers
By Emman Ovuakporie
The Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit. (NFIU) on Tuesday said it is saddled with the task of trailing N5trillion.
This is just as the agency told a bewildered Senate Committee on Anti- Corruption that before appearing before it, the sum of $1.2million allegedly stolen was traced this morning (on Tuesday ).
Speaking at a Budget Defense session of the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption, Executive Director/CEO of the body, Moddibo Tukur said:
“I came a bit late this morning because we have to trace missing $1 .2m and several millions of dollars and the intelligence came this morning.
He explained that the agency’s body needed to be adequately funded to avoid operatives from striking deals with criminals.
“Imagine this sum of money that was secured this morning if a staff that is not well paid decides to cooperate with a criminal this could cause more stress to us.
“We have beeñ emphasising on the issue of personnel cost but the truth is that we have only 200 staff and of which about 170 are operatives.
The arrowhead of the anti-graft body however complained about the rough terrain the agency had to go through immediately it was yanked off the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. EFCC last year.
He said” We started operations without anything on ground and our salary structure is that of EFCC where we were pulled out from and this is not the international requirement because we provide intelligence report to EFCC. ICPC and even CBN.
He told the committee that the agency has requested for N125m to purchas computers as their operations require sophisticated equipment to effectively operate.
Moddibo further explained that”the nature of our job is peculiar because all the time we are at the airport monitoring and travelling and they are a lot of energy money removed from Nigeria that needs tracing around the globe.
“But I can’t start explaining everything here because our matter is intelligence-based I will plead that we discuss the details in a closed-door session when we meet next week.
But the committee Chairman. Senator Suleiman Kwari quickly pointed out that ” You must take questions from our members because they have other commitments.
Senator Shola Adeyye took him up on the issue of his budget of being too ambitious and N1.2bñ for capital projects was on the high side.
He advised the agency other sources of raising funds to carry out their operations as money was really needed to “fund your activities” .
Responding, Moddibo said, the international donors don’t actually fund capital projects but rather concentrate in funding operations.
“Where we are occupying as the office is in the Villa and we have other offices given to us by CBN but with the proviso that we can only stay for two years.
“With your assistance as you and the executive jointly own us we can do this and get a befitting headquarters for us,”he pleaded.
At this ppint, the committee chairman politely asked jour na lists covering the event to leave the venue to enable the committee have a closed door session with the agency.