The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has clarified that its chairman, Ola Olukoyede, did not state that a church or mosque was involved in laundering money for terrorists.
In a statement, the EFCC explained that Olukoyede had mentioned the discovery of a religious sect in the country that engages in money laundering for terrorists.
The chairman revealed that the sect had taken legal action against the agency to protect its leader from interrogation, following the tracing of laundered money to their bank account.
The religious body obtained a court injunction that prevents the commission from inviting, arresting, or prosecuting their leader.
Olukoyede spoke at a dialogue in Abuja on the topic of “Youth, religion, and the fight against corruption.”
In a statement released on Thursday, Dele Oyewale, spokesperson for the EFCC, addressed the misleading reports, commentaries, and analyses that have emerged from Olukoyede’s comments.
Oyewale clarified that the EFCC chairman did not specifically mention any church, mosque, or religious organization during his speech at the dialogue.
“The groups fingered by the EFCC chair are religious sects, not a church or a mosque,” the EFCC spokesperson said.
“Those subjecting this disclosure to sinister interpretation are on to mischief and should be ignored.”