…as Buhari urged to urgently sign Forensic Bill into law
By Jonathan Lois, Abuja
The Protem President of the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals of Nigeria (CIFIPN), Dr (Mrs) Enape Victoria Ayishetu, says forensic investigation is vital to the fight against fraud, corruption and cybercrime and the restoration of country’s economy.
This, Ayishetu said, is in line with the policy thrust of the administration of the President Muhammadu Buhari led Government, which has zero tolerance for corruption and its associated crimes.
She said crime is no longer fought with obsolete and conventional techniques that are still being used in the country.
The Protem President said this is why in spite of all efforts of Government to prevent or minimise fraud, corruption and cybercrime, they seem to be gaining ground on daily basis.
She therefore called on the President to expeditiously sign into law, the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals of Nigeria Bill, 2021 (CIFIPN).
“As such, we as nation must put on our thinking caps to ensure that we collaborate and synergise with the rest of the world for us to be able to match the high-tech level of crimes in today’s digital revolution.
“It is on this premise that we passionately call on His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, to, as a matter of urgency and priority, sign into law, the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals of Nigeria Bill, 2021 (CIFIPN), currently before him for Presidential Assent,” she urged.
She said unarguably, it is a well-known and established fact that the Nigerian economy is in a state of comatose and dwindling in almost every aspect of economic indices that can be used to measure the economic well-being of a nation.
She added that this deteriorating state of the economy is rather disheartening in view of the natural endowment, human and material resources that abound in this country.
“In spite of these enormous resources, there is nothing much to show since Nigeria secured its Independence over six decades ago, especially in the areas of socio-economic and infrastructural development of the country,” she said.
Ayishetu noted that successive governments (military and civil) made frantic efforts by initiating annual budgetary frameworks, targeted at bringing about development in order to meet the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians on annual basis.
According to her, a glance at those frameworks, will reveal a clear demonstration of brilliance and dexterity in the budget conceptualisation process, which if well implemented would brought about the desired development that we all are yearning for.
She however regretted that over the years, the country has witnessed with utmost bewilderment how brilliant budget ideas do not translate to actual implementation of the laudable expenditure framework of the Government.
She said, “The reason for this is not far-fetched, as it is traceable to a well-orchestrated systemic and endemic monumental corruption of the highest proportion. The situation is so bad that almost 70 – 75 percent of our yearly national budget is lost to corrupt practices at all levels of governance in the country. This obvious loophole in our national economy will continue to abound unabatedly if the right mechanisms and cogent interventionist measures are not put in place to check this ugly trend.
“Without any iota of contradiction, I make bold to state that if efforts were made over the years to ensure that the country spends up to 50 percent of our budget on the actual line items of budget on annual basis, then Nigeria would have been a force to reckon with and as well rubbing shoulders with the developed economies of the world. But the fact of the matter is that the larger chunk of our resources always end up as products of fraud, corruption and cybercrime. This is a travesty of rational realism as the country cannot justify how the huge sums we see every year in the national budget are not often matched with commensurate measure of realistic budget performance.
“To avoid being labelled as a pessimist, it is pertinent to also note that the various legal and institutional frameworks our governments over the years have introduced, either through legislations and/or policies with the sole intention of addressing the ravaging effects of the monstrous corrupt practices in the country, has led to the establishment some statutory bodies. But without prejudice to the activities of some of these bodies, fraud, corruption and cybercrimes are still on the increase in the country. This is because fraud, corruption and cybercrime, in the 21st Century have assumed a more sophisticated and scientific dimension that the conventional or out-of-fashion ways of fighting it in the country, are no longer effective.
“Apparently, the missing gap here is the absence or lack of the requisite investigative skills that will ensure successful prosecution of persons accused of fraud, cybercrimes and other related corrupt practices. This is because the evolution of global digitalization has made it impossible for certain organised crimes to be detected, traced and investigated, especially during prosecution of fraud, cybercrime and other related cases. As such, deliberate and responsive steps must be taken to ensure that we have mechanisms in place to ensure fraud prevention, bribery and embezzlement through the application of forensic investigative techniques. This brings us to the issue of what should be done to permanently block this existential loophole, which has crippled our economy.
“One of the reasons why fraud, corruption and cybercrimes are still thriving in the country is traceable to the inability to properly investigate and prosecute crimes with a view to nipping it in the bud with commensurate and appropriate punitive measures to serve as deterrence. However, it is on record that a lot of high profile cases of monumental fraud, corruption and cybercrimes in the country were abandoned in the past and perpetrators left off the hook, due to lack of evidence, even when it was so glaring that the crimes were actually committed. And the reason for lack of evidence in such organised crimes can be ascribed to the absence of modern scientific and technological techniques/acumen, utilised by developed countries to crack such high profile crimes.
“As such, the entrenchment of forensic investigation in our anti-corruption drive in this country will go a long way to ensure that have functional and up-to-date investigative techniques that can be deployed to substantially detect and investigate fraud, corrupt practices and cybercrimes, through the use of science and technology, which is the core mandate of the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals of Nigeria (CIFIPN), whose responsibilities over the years have been focused on providing the requisite skills for relevant professionals in this regard.
“It is common knowledge that due to the complex nature of how fraud, corruption and cybercrimes are perpetrated in today’s world, investigation of same, requires significant expertise, knowledge and experience, which can only be inculcated through adequate forensic training by forensic experts, through analysis and validation of forensic and documentary evidences. It is on this premise that the importance of forensic investigation in the detection and prosecution of crimes cannot be over-emphasised. Therefore, it is imperative for Nigeria to wholeheartedly embrace this global paradigm shift in its efforts to stem the tide of fraud, corruption and cybercrime because the fight against the scourge of corruption on a global scale, is in tandem with innovative and inventive techniques, capable of checking criminal manipulations through digital outputs.
“The multi-disciplinary and multi-dimensional nature of forensic investigation is one of its unique features and attributes. In essence, there is hardly any discipline or field of endeavour where forensic experts are lacking. This is one of the distinguishing features of the concept of forensic science investigation, as forensic experts are trained in different fields with particular focus and specialty in the relevant field to be able to navigate the complex and lengthy process necessary for investigation of fraud, corrupt practices and cybercrimes.
“The need to have pragmatic and institutionalised forensic investigation framework in Nigeria to help in savaging the deteriorating economy by frontally fighting fraud, corruption and cybercrime, is imperative. This is in view of the fact that these ugly menace have undermined development in this country. It the general belief all over the world that fraud, corruption and cybercrime, regardless of their form or nature, are the biggest hindrances and obstacles to progressive endeavours of every country. They are more devastating, catastrophic and damaging than even the effect of some natural disasters like volcanic eruption and earthquakes. Their destructive effects extend to every endeavour, which includes but not limited to the economic, social, and political aspects of life.”
