Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has warned that it will not spare whistleblowers who mislead the anti-graft agency through false information.
EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, gave the warning, on Friday, in a statement by the agency’s spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren.
The whistleblower policy is an anti-corruption programme that was launched in December 2016. It encourages individuals to report cases of financial mismanagement or stolen funds.
But Bawa lamented that inspite of due diligence by the EFCC, scarce investigative resources had been wasted by the anti-graft agency in following up false leads.
The EFCC boss expressed regrets that the activities of false whistle blowers “detract from the noble intendment of the Whistblower Policy of the Federal Government which seeks to incentivise information leading to the recovery of stolen wealth”.
He warned that the commission would not hesitate to prosecute any whistle blower who deliberately provides the agency with false information.
Bawa assured that the commission would continue to work with genuine whistleblowers to recover assets and other stolen funds.
He advised genuine informants to be cautious and ensure that they have accurate information before approaching the agency.
Bawa added that the Directorate of Intelligence created recently would henceforth ensure that all information received by the EFCC is subjected to rigorous due diligence before any action is taken.