CurrentReport Blog Former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Professor Chidi Odinkalu, has recently criticized the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for its handling of cases involving the abuse of the Naira. Odinkalu’s remarks come in the wake of the EFCC’s arrest and prosecution of crossdresser Okuneye Idris Olanrewaju, popularly known as Bobrisky, who was convicted and sentenced to six months in jail for Naira abuse.
In a statement, Odinkalu emphasized that the EFCC lacks the legal mandate to prosecute individuals for the act of spraying or otherwise mishandling the Naira. He pointed out that the EFCC’s jurisdiction, as defined by law, pertains to economic and financial crimes, which are characterized by non-violent and illicit activities aimed at illegally acquiring wealth.
According to Odinkalu, the spraying of the Naira, while a cultural practice, does not constitute a violation of existing legislation governing economic activities. Therefore, he contends that the EFCC’s involvement in such cases is beyond its prosecutorial purview.
Citing the law that establishes the EFCC, Odinkalu reiterated that economic and financial crimes encompass activities undertaken to unlawfully amass wealth, either individually or collectively, in contravention of existing legal frameworks.
