The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has outlined the procedure for members of the public to report suspected fraud and other financial crimes through its official online petition portal.
According to the commission, petitioners are required to provide truthful and accurate information, warning that submitting false petitions is a criminal offence punishable under Nigerian law.
The EFCC stated that anyone found guilty of filing a false petition may face sanctions under Section 64(3) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, which prescribes a penalty of up to 10 years’ imprisonment or a fine of not more than ₦100,000.
To submit a petition, applicants are expected to complete an online form with their personal information, including their first and last names, National Identification Number (NIN), gender, phone number, email address, country, state, local government area and residential address.
Petitioners are also required to provide details relating to the case, such as the title or subject of the petition, the suspect’s name and location, the complainant’s name, where the alleged offence occurred, the amount involved and the currency.
In addition, applicants must provide a detailed account of the alleged fraud or financial crime in the petition section of the form.
The commission allows users to upload supporting evidence, although this is optional. Accepted file formats include PDF documents and image files, with each file not exceeding 10MB in size.
Before completing the process, petitioners are required to pass a security verification and acknowledge that they have read the commission’s notice on false petitions and agree to provide only accurate and truthful information.
The EFCC noted that providing complete and verifiable information would assist the commission in processing petitions more efficiently and effectively.
Members of the public can submit petitions through the EFCC’s official online petition portal.