The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) introduced Eagle Eye App on Wednesday, July 14, 2021, an app that is intended to make the process of reporting economic and financial crimes in Nigeria more convenient and efficient.
Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, the Executive Chairman of the Commission, who spoke at the launch, described the App, which he said was the first of its kind by any law enforcement agency in Nigeria, as a product of ingenuity by members of the Commission’s staff, and as an application that was conceived, designed, and developed by the Commission.
Bawa, in an appeal to members of the public to use the App to bring cases of corruption and economic crimes to the attention of the EFCC, stated that “with the App, those who were previously afraid to report corruption cases to the Commission, either for fear of being identified by the perpetrators or of having their identities revealed, can now do so with the assurance of complete anonymity.”
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It was stressed by him that the Eagle Eye App will go a long way toward assisting in the reporting of fraudulent acts by individuals, notably in the instance of Money Laundering through the Real Estate Industry. In addition, Nigerians and non-Nigerians can quickly photograph a property alleged to have been illegally or corruptly acquired and report the incident through the Eagle Eye App effortlessly.
Additionally, he stated that, as media practitioners, journalists have a unique opportunity to not only help bring awareness of the application to the public but also to make use of it and assist others in understanding how it can be used to further the fight against economic crimes, such as corruption, he said. With the Eagle Eye, you have at your disposal a gadget that will, in the end, ensure that there is no safe haven in Nigeria for the corrupt, according to the minister of information.
According to the EFCC Chairman, Eagle Eye is a user-friendly application with capabilities that can be operated by anyone with a basic understanding of the English language. He explained that the first step is to download the app to your device from either the Apple or Google Play stores.
People who want to take advantage of the Federal Government’s Whistle Blowing Policy and receive a reward for reporting corruption, according to the EFCC Chairman, should indicate this in the information they are providing, just as there are penalties clearly stipulated in the laws for providing false information that could mislead the Commission, he said.
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Following his appointment as chairman, the EFCC has taken steps to demonstrate his commitment to running an agency that is technologically advanced. His remarks were accompanied by the phrase “The Eagle Eye offers a fresh experience in information exchange and crime reporting between the public and the EFCC.”
Apart from the fact that it complements the existing channels for reporting economic crimes, the unique advantage of this application, according to the EFCC Chairman, is that it eliminates direct person-to-person interface in the reporting process and ensures anonymity, which serves as an additional incentive for effective whistleblowing.
