The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared Lagos as the state with the highest cases of money laundering in Nigeria.
Speaking with journalists in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, January 7, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the EFCC, said Lagos is closely followed by Rivers State.
Magu vowed that the EFCC would prosecute Peter Odili, a former governor of Rivers state who currently enjoys an injunction against investigation Lagos now tops states with the highest number of money laundering cases.
According to the acting chairman, Rivers state comes second in the rating, expressing optimism that a court would soon throw out the judgment barring the agency from investigating state governors in alleged economic crimes.
“Nothing is going to stop us, even the issue of the court order allegedly obtained by Dr. Peter Odili and co to stop the EFCC from investigation and prosecution has been overtaken by the event even though the matter is still at the supreme we on it,” he said.
Magu attributed the high level of money laundering cases in Rivers to the huge oil deposit in the state.
In terms of crime, he pledged that the commission would do its best to ensure that such cases are reduced, noting “I think Rivers state is the next to Lagos in terms of crime.
“This is the headquarters of money laundering because there is a lot of oil money, bunker money here. “I think you can rate Port Harcourt the second to maybe Lagos when you talk of people playing with sinking, diving, hiding, maybe because of the large space of oil deals,” he said.
Noting that the matter the EFCC has with Peter Odili, a former governor of Rivers state has been on for 13 years, Magu promised that the case, which is at the Supreme Court, would be followed up.
