The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has called for enhanced incentives and safeguards for whistleblowers.He said those who provide information that leads to the recovery of stolen assets should be adequately rewarded.

Olukoyede, who made this appeal yesterday during a lecture at the Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime in the United Kingdom (UK), highlighted the importance of credible intelligence in the fight against corruption and financial crimes.

The EFCC boss disclosed that the commission currently provides whistleblowers with between 2.5 per cent and five per cent of recovered assets if their information results in the successful retrieval of illicit funds or properties.

Olukoyede also encouraged individuals with knowledge of Nigerian assets allegedly stolen and taken abroad to come forward.

“If any of you is privy to where Nigerian assets are stolen or taken anywhere in the world, we have an incentive for you. Between 2.5 and 5 per cent is going to go back to you upon recovery,” he said.

The EFCC chairman argued that stronger whistleblower incentives would help the government acquire vital intelligence needed to trace assets concealed through intricate financial arrangements, especially outside Nigeria.

Olukoyede also told participants at the event that the Commission had secured the forfeiture of cash and assets worth over $500 million for the Federal Government in the past three years.

He attributed...

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