The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has identified Business Email Compromise (BEC), forex scams, and land and property fraud as the most common financial and economic crimes committed in Lagos.

The acting chairman of EFCC, Abdulkarim Chukkol, disclosed this during a one-day workshop on Economic and Financial Crimes Reporting for Journalists on Thursday at the commission’s zonal command in Lagos.

Mr Chukkol, who spoke through the commander of the zonal command, Michael Wetkas, also reeled out several petitions the anti-graft agency had received that amounted to billions in the past years. 

According to a statement by the EFCC’s spokesperson Wilson Uwujaren, Friday, Mr Chukkol said the Lagos command had received 512 and 876 petitions relating to investment and forex scams, respectively.

The fraudulent activities were said to have involved sums of over N317 billion, $3 million and N11 billion in total. 

Mr Chukkol added that all manner of economic and financial crimes had, over the years, continued to thrive in the state owing to its status as the country’s economic nerve centre. 

While expressing concern over the alarming rate at which unsuspecting people fall victims, the EFCC chief stated that the commission’s enforcement activities had been directed at the perpetrators of these crimes.

He said the anti-graft agency had intensified sensitisation to prevent financial crimes and lauded the media for reporting the commission’s activities since its inception over 20 years ago.

“I admit that the task of placing our works on daily focus and scrutiny is both engaging and arduous.  It is engaging because the Commission has been profoundly impactful in combating the menace of corrupt practices in our midst, going by its impressive records of convictions, asset forfeitures and other tangible proofs of accomplishments over the years.  

“The reporting has also been arduous because our works are not static and you have been keeping pace with our speed and energy,“ Mr Chukkol added.