The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched a mobile application platform, where the public can report suspected cases of corruption.
The chairman of the commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, unveiled the Mobile App named, ‘The Eagle Eye’ while addressing journalists at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.
Mr Bawa said the mobile app is designed to ease the process of reporting economic and financial crimes in Nigeria.
According to him, the app, which he said developed by an EFCC’s staff member, was the first of its kind by any anti-graft agency.
He said ‘The Eagle Eye’ represents a new experience in information sharing and crime reporting between the public and the EFCC.
Annonymity advantage
A key advantage of the mobile app, according to Mr Bawa, is that it eliminates a direct person-to-person interface in the reporting process for effective whistleblowing.
“For us at the EFCC, this event is unique in several ways. First, it is the first of its kind by any law enforcement agency in Nigeria. Second, it is the product of ingenuity by a staff of the commission being an application that was conceived, designed and developed by the EFCC.
“Thirdly, it is a clear demonstration of my pledge on assumption of office to run an agency that is technology-driven. The Eagle Eye represents a new experience in information sharing and crime reporting between the public and the EFCC.
“Apart from complementing the existing channels for reporting economic crimes, the unique advantage of this application is that it eliminates direct person-to-person interface in the reporting process and guarantees anonymity which is an added incentive to effective whistle blowing.
“With the app, those who hitherto were afraid to report corruption cases to the Commission either for fear of being identified by the culprits or having their identities revealed, can now do so with the assurance of full anonymity.
The chairman also urged members of the public and the media to take advantage of the platform in bringing cases of corruption to the knowledge of the EFCC.
“I, therefore, appeal to members of the public to take advantage of this App in bringing cases of corruption and economic crimes to the knowledge of the EFCC. Particularly in the case of money laundering through real estate, with the Eagle Eye, Nigerians and non Nigerians can easily take a picture of a property suspected to have been fraudulently or corruptly acquired and report through the app seamlessly.
“As media practitioners, you all occupy vantage positions not only in helping to bring the knowledge of this application to the public, but making use of it and helping others to understand how it could be deployed to further the fight against economic crimes including corruption.
“With the Eagle Eye, you have at your fingertips a device that will ultimately ensure that there is no hiding place for the corrupt in Nigeria.”
Mr Bawa described The Eagle Eye as a user friendly application, “with features that can be navigated by any literate person.”
On how to use the app, he said, the first step “is to download it to your device from either the Apple of Google play store.”
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