The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, has solicited the support of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to collaborate with the committee he had put in place to tackle land disputes in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Oba Balogun said this while reacting to the presentation made by the Ibadan Zonal Commander of the EFCC, Assistant Commander of the EFCC 1 (ACE 1), Halimat Mustafa Rufa’u, who paid him a courtesy call at his Alarere residence, Ibadan, on Tuesday.
In a statement by his Personal Assistant Media, Oladele Ogunsola, the monarch, who noted that the committee, headed by the President of the Ibadan Mogajis, Asimiyu Ariori, meets regularly, disclosed that the Land and Property Fraud Section of the EFCC would have a lot to gain from the committee.
The Olubadan, who eulogised the committee for the achievements recorded so far, noted that his purpose of raising the committee when he ascended the throne of Olubadan last year continued to be justified on a daily basis, stressing that the creation of the Land and Property Fraud section by the EFCC was very thoughtful and earned his applause.
Oba Balogun said: “I commend your agency for your various efforts at ridding our country of corruption, and the division of your task into various sections as just rolled out by the Zonal Commander is an indication of your commitment to the mandate given you by the government.
“No doubt, we are still being confronted with challenges of corruption both in high and low places, but, your activities as we monitor in the media give us hope and assurance of a better future when it comes to respect for integrity as a virtue. One can only implore you to remain steadfast and focused on your core mandate and you can rest assured of my support for you as a critical stakeholder,” he promised.
Collaborations
Earlier, the Zonal Commander, who is the seventh and first female to be so appointed, ACE 1Halimat Mustafa Rufa’u, solicited the understanding and support of the monarch for her agency’s various activities, the purpose of which she said brought her and her management team to the palace of the Olubadan, being the foremost traditional ruler presently in the state.
She highlighted the activities of the various sections of the agency and their respective importance to the fight against corruption, as well as the need for traditional rulers to key into the programmes of the EFCC, stressing that the fight against corruption, particularly cybercrime which mostly involves youths, is for the well-being of all and the fight must be a collective responsibility.
Rufa’u noted: “It is sad watching our youths concentrating their energy on crime, using the internet to rob innocent victims of their hard-earned money, both from within and outside the country. Aside the bad image this gives our country, the future of those young elements is being destroyed.
“Equally, unregulated mining portends great danger to our soil, aside from having negative impacts on our farming system. All these and others deserve all hands to be on deck to fight them to a standstill”, the Zonal Commander affirmed.
Rufa’u was accompanied on the visit by the Head of Advance Fee Fraud Section, ACE II Chinedu Eneanya; Head of Extractive Industry Fraud Section, ACE II Olusegun Oloruntuyi; Head of Land and Property Fraud Section, ACE II Oluwakemi Ogunbona; Head of Economic Governance Section, ACE II David Nkpe; Head of Public Affairs Department, DSE Egbodofo Olumide and Head of Operations Admin, ASE II Taiwo Ajaja.
Emmanuel Ukoh
