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EFCC convicts 312 corrupt persons in 2018

By Dennis Erezi
27 December 2018   |   8:07 pm
Nigeria's anti-graft agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday said it had convicted no fewer than 312 corrupt Nigerians in 2018. The numbers of persons convicted were arrested and tried for various acts of corruption between January and December, 2018. “The record of convictions cuts across the various offices of the EFCC with…

Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday said it had convicted no fewer than 312 corrupt Nigerians in 2018.

The numbers of persons convicted were arrested and tried for various acts of corruption between January and December, 2018.

“The record of convictions cuts across the various offices of the EFCC with Lagos securing 85 convictions, Abuja with 53, followed by Kano with 36. Port Harcourt secured 33 convictions, Gombe recorded 28; Benin had 27; Enugu, 15; Maiduguri, 11; Ibadan, 10; Uyo, 8, and Kaduna, 6,” EFCC spokesman Tony Orilade said in a statement.

EFCC, however, described the record of convictions as ‘undoubtedly’ a significant improvement on the 189 convictions recorded in 2017.

The anti-graft agency stated that the conviction of a former governor of Taraba State Jolly Nyame and a former governor of Plateau state and a serving SenatorJoshua Dariye both currently serving jail terms at Kuje Prison makes its efforts “more significantly” impressive.

Other significant convictions by the EFCC also include a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Joseph Nwobike, who has been “stripped of the highly revered legal title, was also convicted for perverting the course of justice.”

“Dariye and Nyame, who were sentenced to 14 years in prison had approached the Court of Appeal to challenge the “guilty” verdict handed down on them by a Federal Capital Territory High Court, Gudu presided over by Justice Adebukola Banjoko.”

However, while upholding their convictions, the appellate court reduced Dariye’s jail term to 10 years, and that of Nyame to 12 years with a fine of N495 million.

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