Graeme Biggar, the director-general of the National Crime Agency (NCA), says the UK crime agency will continue to support the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in tackling corruption and recovering looted assets, lauding EFCC for being professional.

Mr Biggar said this on Thursday when he led a delegation of the UK’s anti-crime agency on a working visit to the EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede, in Abuja.

“We have a long-standing relationship with EFCC in Nigeria. It is important for us to support you in the fight against corruption and asset recovery. I am here to deepen our cooperation. We really appreciate the relationship we have with your organisation and the professionalism of your officers,” he said.

The NCA boss expressed his agency’s readiness to strengthen the relationship with the EFCC, maintaining that “we are ready to take the relationship deeper.”

“It is important we continue the strong relationship existing between us for us to tackle those fraudulent dealings,” he said.

Mr Olukoyede stated that the EFCC valued its relationship with NCA, noting that the good working relationship between Nigeria and the UK dates back a long way.

The EFCC boss said, ”Our relationship has been mutually beneficial. We have had cause to collaborate on so many cases. I want to thank you for extending that hand of collaboration to us and for some of the support you have brought in the area of manpower development, training for some of our operatives and also the support you have given our digital forensic laboratory.

“We are also looking for more mutually beneficial relationships and more support. The world is a global village. Sometimes what we have, you don’t have and what you have, we don’t have. We place much premium on exchange of ideas and compare notes where necessary. We are also looking at issues where you can be of support from your jurisdiction.”

(NAN)