The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has expressed worry over the decline in the number of whistleblowers across the country.
Speaking on Thursday at a townhall meeting organised by the African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) in Awka, Anambra state, Abdulrasheed Bawa, chairman of the commission,
expressed concern over the reduction in number of whistleblowers despite rewards offered to informants.
Abdulrasheed Bawa, who was represented by Oshodi Johnson, Enugu zonal commander of EFCC, at the event, said the whistleblowing policy helped the agency to recover huge stolen public funds across the country.
He, however, said ignorance of the legal and administrative frameworks of the policy, as well as difficulties and bureaucratic processes for claiming the advertised incentives, are some of the challenges.
“It is also not impossible that the few false informants or whistleblowers who were prosecuted for wanting to turn a serious programme to memes, unnerved some other would-be informants,” NAN quoted him as saying.
“Whatever the challenges are, it is imperative that there is fresh awakening to sustain the flow of critical intelligence to Nigerian law enforcement agencies.”