2023: EFCC Warns Against Vote Buying, Selling

 Court jails 7 internet scammers, 92 others arrested

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday warned Nigerians to refrain from the act of vote buying and selling in the nation’s electoral processes.

The warning came as the Enugu Zonal Command of the commission secured the conviction of seven internet fraudsters before Justice I.M Buba of the Federal High Court sitting in Enugu on separate charges bordering on impersonation and obtaining money under false pretences from unsuspecting foreign nationals. 

Also, operatives of the Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the anti-graft agency arrested 92 suspected internet fraudsters a.k.a Yahoo Boys in a sting operation in the early hours of Wednesday, June 1, 2022, at various locations in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Speaking in Abuja while receiving a delegation of the  Civil Society Partners on Electoral Reform, (CISPER), who paid a courtesy visit to the EFCC, Secretary to the Commission, Dr. George Ekpungu, said every leadership recruitment process in the country was very vital and warned the citizenry to avoid selling their votes and their future to the highest bidder in the course of elections.

He commended CISPER for coming forward to partner with the EFCC in curbing the menace of vote buying and selling and called on other well-meaning Nigerians to partner with the commission in fighting all sorts of economic and financial crimes in the country.

Speaking earlier, leader of the delegation, Ariyo-Dare Atoye, said his group came  to the EFCC to partner with the commission to tackle the menace of vote buying and selling in the course of elections.

“As a civil society, we are in the commission to remind you that it is your responsibility, as we know you are spending a lot of resources and energy going after people who stole our collective wealth, and if we are able to address certain concerns at the recruitment level, then we won’t have leaders who are looters and that will serve as a proactive approach that will tackle the issue of corruption,” he said.