The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has a number of subunits known as the Legal and Prosecution Department, the Investigations Department, and the Ethics and Integrity Department, amongst others.
There are also 14 Zonal Commands within the EFCC, which have been established to the level of divisions under the supervision of a Director.
In order to fulfill its objective effectively, the EFCC is divided into various sections that are geared towards each fight of financial crime.
Each department has its own well trained personnel and equipment designed to tackle specific problems arising in the area of economic crimes.
This organizational arrangement augments the responsiveness of the EFCC to emerging issues and consequently increases its clout in the fight against financial improprieties and corruption in Nigeria.
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Departments In EFCC
1. Legal and Prosecution Department
Legal processes being its main orientation, this subdivision brings to justice both natural and legal persons culpable of economic crimes.
One of their major responsibilities is taking offenders to court in a bid to ensure that they do not escape the long arm of the law after engaging in illegal activities.
Moreover, they offer legal advice to other divisions within the EFCC during the course of investigations to ensure that all actions are taken within the law. Nevertheless, the department is not left to operate by itself. It also works with other enforcement and regulatory bodies.
2. Department Of Investigations
This division of the agency is dedicated to the examination of economic and financial crimes across the territory of this country.
These include, but are not limited to, advance fee fraud, money laundering, the cybercrime spectrum, insider trading, tax crimes and political bribery.
The members of the Department of Investigations gather evidence, conduct interviews and prepare republicans against natural or legal persons, who are involved or suspected of involvement in these crimes seeking justice.
They work in partnerships with the Nigerian Police Force, the courts of law and other relevant agencies to ensure that persons who commit these offenses are found culpable.
Dissecting these behaviors also includes the prevention and detection of the crimes or assumed crimes as inscribed in the EFCC Act.
3. Department Of Ethics And Integrity
Its primary objective is to ensure all participants in the affairs of the Commission act with ethical standards and adhere to the moral tenets in all their dealings.
This is in turn done by establishing and implementing measures that dictate the conduct of the staff. Besides that, the department also trains the employees of the EFCC on the ethical issues and the importance of working honestly.
Apart from the training, the Department of Ethics and Integrity regulates compliance with ethical standards. In addition, they take steps to reduce, if not totally eliminate, occurrences of misconduct or violations by members of the organization.
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4. Asset Forfeiture Department
The Asset Forfeiture Department performs the function of monitoring the taking over and allocation of properties suspected to be connected to illegal dealings under the Economic and Financial Crime Commission.
As such, when the department has a reason to believe that certain assets are related to illegal activities, it goes on to trace and apprehend such assets.
This consists of applying for and receiving restraining orders that would permit the EFCC their grasp on such assets for the preliminary stages of their probing.
The government also restricts the possession of the assets by conducting the auctions through the public view for those assets already seized.
In addition, the Asset Forfeiture Department collaborates with other law enforcement authorities to enhance asset recovery.
5. Department Of Security And Chief Security Officer
This department ensures that the activities, workforce, and classified data of the EFCC are safe. The Chief Security Officer (CSO) leads this department, which has several important responsibilities.
First, it considers the risks to find out any possible internal exercises, which may be important for the work of the EFCC. This prepares and shields stakeholders from such issues even before they arise.
Protecting personnel engaged in investigations is a major challenge. The department also installs measures preventing unauthorized entry to EFCC premises in order to secure both the premises and any classified materials.
In addition to these activities, the Department of Security engages with other law enforcement organizations such the Department of State Services (DSS).
