Visa racketeering, cybercrimes, illegal mining alarming in Kaduna – EFCC Director
The Acting Zonal Director, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kaduna Zonal Directorate, Bawa Usman Kaltungo has disclosed that visa racketeering, cybercrimes and illegal mining are becoming alarming in Kaduna State, and appealed to journalists to enlighten the general public on the danger of engaging in such crimes and other crimes.
Kaltungo made the disclosure on Friday when he, along with his management team, paid a courtesy call on the executive of the Kaduna State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
Kaltungo, who was newly posted to the Zonal Directorate, expressed gratitude to the NUJ members for the support and cooperation given to the Commission over the years, and pleaded that the support should be sustained for the good of the society.
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This was as the NUJ chairman, Abdulgafar Alabelewe, assured the EFCC Director of the Union’s support to educate the society to keep off financial crimes and criminality at all times.
The EFCC Director called on journalists in the State to always feel free to balance their stories from the Commission to avoid damaging the image and reputation of the Commission.
“It is part of our routine that whenever a new Zonal Director is appointed, we come on a courtesy visit to our strategic partners, of which NUJ is one of them. It is a thank you visit and to ask for more support like Oliver Twist. The collaboration that exists between NUJ and EFCC cannot be separated.
“You are going to look out for a renewed vigour in the fight against corruption, and this issue of cybercrimes that our youths are indulging in, which is becoming alarming. So the Commission is devising a new strategy to nip it in the bud.
“We don’t want it to spread. If youths who are the leaders of tomorrow are today engaged in corruption, does it mean that corrupt people will be in positions of leadership tomorrow? It means that there will be no development and progress. It is now incumbent on us to nib it in the bud.
“Another trend that we discovered in Kaduna that is alarming is the issue of visa racketeering, more especially during lesser Hajj and during pilgrimage – what we call Baban Sallah. You find out that a lot of people have been duped of their hard-earned money in the name of visa by traveling agents, in the name of international passport and stuff like that. It is alarming in Kaduna State. And to worsen it, even married women are involved.
“So we want to use this opportunity to appeal to couples to advise their fellow couples to desist from such acts because it is not our wish to go and arrest married women but if she gets herself involved, definitely the law does not say that married men or women have immunity, we will go after them.
So we want to call on the people of Kaduna State and Niger State to make sure that people are not involved in anything that will attract us to them.”
He also cited the issue of illegal mining, which he said is terrorism and banditry.
“Everybody wants to go into illegal mining. But you cannot go into mining without appropriate documents from appropriate authorities. Mining is exclusive preserve of the federal government. So for any company and for any individual to go into mining they must obtain license from the federal ministry of mining. You cannot go on your own and start doing mining.”
Assuring the Acting director of the Union’s support, Alabelewe said “I want to assure you that we will continue with this good working relationship with the Commission. I want to assure you that NUJ doors are open and anytime you need our services we are willing to render our services. “
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