Buhari vows to resist corrupt elements fighting back

In from Olumide Olaoluwa …
President Muhammadu Buhari has declared his resolve to resist corrupt elements trying to fight back and halt the anti-graft war.
He said the government will not wait until all resources are available before waging war against graft.
The President also promised to strengthen various anti-graft agencies.
He spoke at the opening ceremony of the maiden training programme of the Network of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa, NACIWA at the EFCC Academy, Karu, Abuja.
Buhari, who was represented by the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) Engr. Babachir Lawal, vowed to fight the war against corruption to a conclusive end.
He said although corruption will always fight back, his administration will not be deterred.
Buhari said: “The time to act against corruption is now and we do not have to wait till when all the resources are in place. It is now.
“They’ll fight back, indeed, they are already fighting back but what they don’t know is that there is the will to ensure victory is achieved because we have to reclaim our stolen wealth.
“We shall strengthen agencies in the country involved in the corruption war.
“The EFCC and other anti-graft agencies in the country have been charged to ramp up the corruption war and save us from the scourge of corruption”.
EFCC’s chair, Ibrahim Lamorde said corrupt individuals have taken their crimes beyond borders.
He said there was an urgent need for anti-graft agencies across West Africa to collaborate to rid the region of economic and financial crimes.

Read also: Anti-graft war: Corruption fights back

Lamorde said: “We must bear in mind that the criminals that we are after, have no problems whatsoever, forging such cross-jurisdictional operational alliances in order to perpetrate crimes.
“Crimes in each of our nations today have not only grown in proportion but in sophistication and criminals now have reaches across national institutions and borders and can even threaten the very existence of some states.”
While commending the creation of NACIWA – a coalition of anti-corruption agencies across the West African sub region, Lamorde said such a body could not have come at a most auspicious time.
He said the training will provide participants a veritable platform of networking and sharing of ideas.
The President of NACIWA, Issoufou Boureima, thanked the EFCC for playing a pivotal role in the establishment of the organisation.
He said there is need for anti-graft agencies in the sub region to unite in fighting corruption.
Participants for the programme were drawn from the Republic of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Republic of Niger, Senegal, Togo, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

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