Writing a Petition to the EFCC
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is the organisation in Nigeria charged with the investigation and prosecution of fraud based crimes in Nigeria. The EFCC was created in 2007, and since then has become the ‘eagle’ for spotting corrupt and fraudulent acts.
One way the EFCC operates is to deal with petitions which are forwarded to it by members of the public. So for instance, if you are involved in business dealings with someone, and this person carries out fraudulent acts in the business, you may write a petition to the EFCC so they can investigate the matter, and potentially prosecute the individual. The EFCC has operational offices in Lagos, Rivers, Ibadan, Enugu, Kano, Gombe, Kaduna, Borno, and Edo States. The headquarters of the EFCC is in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
In this article, we will describe the process to follow to properly write a petition to the EFCC in Nigeria.
Step 1 – Properly Address the petition to the EFCC
All petitions to the EFCC must be addressed to “The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission” followed by the address – 5, Fomella Street, off Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja. If the petition to the EFCC will be submitted at any of the 9 zonal offices, then the petition would be addressed as ‘Through the Head of Operations (insert zone)”. See the below examples:
Sample 1 – Petition to the Headquarters:
The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
5, Fomella Street, off Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent,
Wuse 2, Abuja.
Sample 2 – Petition through Lagos Zonal office:
The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
Through the Head of Operations Lagos
No. 15A, Awolowo Road,
Ikoyi, Lagos.
Step 2 – Information is important
In your petition to the EFCC, you must ensure you provide the agency which as much information about the issue. Firstly, you should ensure that the petition is titled appropriately, choose a heading/title which adequately summarises why you are writing the petition. For instance – ‘Fraudulent Misappropriation of Funds’. Apart from a well-written title, you need to ensure that everything you include in the body of the petition is not only factual but as concise as possible. The petition is not all the information the EFCC will need to investigate and prosecute the case, it is the information they will need in order to determine whether they should investigate the issue.
Therefore, you need to present your petition in a very efficient and professional manner. Ideally, a petition should present the facts sequentially/chronologically, giving details of dates, times, locations and individuals involved.
Step 3 – Provide Evidence
A petition to the EFCC is a serious matter, and it should not be taken or used lightly. Only write a petition when there has been a genuine fraudulent act perpetrated on you or your company, and you should always provide evidence. Attach all relevant evidence to the petition which could include receipts, photos, documents, numbers etc.
Please note that it is not advisable to write malicious or baseless petitions to the EFCC. Doing that not only wastes the time of the EFCC, but could also land you in trouble as not only is it a crime to do that, it could also lead to you being sued by the person who the petition is unjustly filed against. Depending on the circumstances, you could be sued for the tort of defamation or potentially the tort of malicious falsehood.
Step 4 – Submit your petition
All petitions must be written, dated and signed by the petitioner. This is so that the EFCC know who is making the petition, and can follow up with the petitioner to get more information or clarification. Petitions may be submitted at zonal offices, the head office, or even by email.
Next Steps
It is always advisable to have a lawyer assist you in writing a petition to the EFCC, not only because the lawyer would have experience writing petitions, but also because the lawyer will be able to bring out or highlight certain facts which would be important in explaining the legal issues involved in the petition, which would be of immense benefit to the EFCC.
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We hope you have found this information helpful. Please note that this information is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be legal advice. No lawyer-client relationship is formed nor should any such relationship be implied. This answer is not intended to substitute for the advice of a qualified lawyer. If you require legal advice, please consult with a qualified lawyer.