The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reviewed its arrest and bail procedure.
The move aims to align the agency’s procedure with “the rule of law and international best practices in the treatment of suspects,” a statement by the commission said Wednesday.
According to the statement signed by the spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, the new procedure “was rolled out on Monday, 31 October 2023 across all its commands”.
EFCC has been criticised for carrying out its operations without regard for suspects’ rights when operatives of the agency incessantly barged into homes and hotel rooms of Nigerians in their bid to arrest suspected cybercrime suspects.
Under the new guideline, the EFCC said, “premium attention is focused on the rights of suspects, especially where arrest, detention and bail issues are concerned.”
The statement partly reads, “Operational activities are to be tailored towards relevant provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999( as amended), the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2011, and the EFCC’s Standard Operating Procedures, SOP,” the statement added.
Operatives have also been prohibited from demanding professional certificates of sureties as a bail condition.
“Also, every demand for international passport of suspects would henceforth be exercised with discretion, depending on the nature of the case, personality and country of residence of the suspect,” it added.
However, operatives of the Commission are not allowed to demand for professional certificates of sureties as a bail condition. Also, every demand for international passport of suspects would henceforth be exercised with discretion, depending on the nature of the case, personality and country of residence of the suspect.
