The Ilorin Zonal Director of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Victoria Ugo-Ali, has called for stronger collaboration with key government agencies to combat the dollarisation of Nigeria’s economy and illegal mining activities.
Ugo-Ali made the appeal on Tuesday during separate courtesy visits to the Ilorin branch of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Kwara State command of the Nigerian Immigration Service in Ilorin.
At the CBN office, she said the visit was aimed at strengthening the EFCC’s partnership with institutions whose responsibilities intersect with the commission’s mandate to tackle economic and financial crimes. She noted that closer cooperation with the apex bank would help address the growing use of foreign currencies in domestic transactions.
According to her, EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede is committed to curbing the increasing preference for foreign currencies in local transactions, describing the practice as a threat to Nigeria’s financial stability.
Ugo-Ali also emphasized the role of financial institutions in detecting economic crimes and called for timely intelligence on suspicious transactions to aid investigations into money laundering and related offences.
Responding, the CBN’s Ilorin Branch Controller, Monga Muhammed, welcomed the initiative and pledged continued cooperation with the EFCC. He noted that both institutions perform complementary roles in safeguarding the country’s financial system.
Muhammed added that the apex bank has introduced measures to tackle naira abuse and dollarisation, including tracking currency circulation and imposing sanctions on individuals or organisations engaged in illegal currency trading.
During her visit to the Immigration Service command, Ugo-Ali also stressed the importance of border control and monitoring foreign nationals in combating illegal mining and related financial crimes.
The Kwara State Comptroller of the Immigration Service, Hossein Ayuba Muhammed, assured the EFCC of the agency’s support, pledging continued collaboration in identifying and profiling foreign nationals suspected of involvement in illegal economic activities.
