By John Ikani
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Abdulrasheed Bawa, has urged banks in the country to investigate the sources of income of their potential customers before opening an account for them.
Bawa gave the order yesterday when the Association of Chief Audit Executives of Banks in Nigeria (ACAEBIN), led by its Chairman, Yinka Tiamiyu, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.
The anti-graft agency boss implored the bank auditors to take issues of transparency in banking operations seriously, adding that starting from September 1, 2021 it will no longer be business as usual, as the commission will hold banks liable where there are established cases of institutional complicity in fraud in the sector.
He also affirmed the anti-graft agency’s willingness to partner with the association in tackling financial crimes and related challenges in the industry.
“I will like to urge you to know your customers, know the kind of businesses they do before opening an account for them because some customers will open an account within a space of two months a huge sum of money is found in the account, So there is need for you to try and query these information including their linked accounts,” Bawa said.
Speaking earlier, Tiamiyu said they were at the commission to seek improved partnership between banks and the EFCC in tackling economic and financial crimes.
He reiterated the commitment of banks as lead actors in the nation’s financial system to sanitising the system, noting that it was not in the interest of the organizations to incubate or suppress financial malfeasance.
