Mr. Abdulkarim Chukkol has stepped in as Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
This was disclosed in a statement by the spokesperson of the Commission, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren on Thursday, June 15, 2023.
Chukkol’s taking over the affairs of the Commission follows the suspension on Tuesday of Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa By the Federal Government.
Recall that a statement by the Department of State Services, DSS, on Wednesday directed Bawa to immediately hand over the affairs of his office to the Director, Operations in the Commission who will oversee the affairs of the Office of the Chairman of the Commission pending the conclusion of an ongoing investigation.
The Commission described the Acting EFCC Chief, one of its pioneer staff, as an illustrious member of the EFCC Cadet Course One, and a consummate and vastly experienced investigator with a specialty in cybercrime and money laundering.
His Command appointments in the Commission include stints as Head of the Advance Fee Fraud and Cybercrime Sections of the Lagos and Abuja Zonal Commands between 2011 -2016, pioneer Commander of the Uyo Zonal Command in 2017, and Commander of Port Harcourt Zonal Command in 2020.
Chukkol has participated in several special operations with international law enforcement organizations and maintains close relationships with Law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, UK National Crime Agency, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), United States Secret Service, Australian Federal Police, Dutch Police, German Police, South African Police, etc.
The acting EFCC Boss has worked closely with other Governments to develop laws and infrastructure for carrying out law enforcement actions. He is Nigeria’s Contact person at the International Mass Marketing Fraud Working Group representing key Government regulatory, law enforcement, prosecution, immigration and customs, financial intelligence, and consumer protection agencies as well as trade and competition bureaus dealing with mass marketing-related issues from Spain, Nigeria, Belgium, Europol, Canada, United Kingdom, and the United States.
Chukkol has attended several courses, seminars, and workshops on Public Corruption, Advance Fee Fraud, and other economic and financial crimes both locally and internationally, including the Oxford University, United Kingdom, in 2022.
His work and initiatives over the years have earned him several awards and commendations both locally and internationally, including “the Most Outstanding Award in Operations” by the EFCC and the “Outstanding Performance Award” by the United States Department of Justice, among others.
The acting EFCC Chairman holds a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Maiduguri (2000) and Post Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice Education from the University of Virginia, United States as well as Graduate Diploma in Cybersecurity and Spectrum Management from the United States Telecommunication Training Institute, Washington DC, United States.
He is also an alumnus of the FBI National Academy, Quantico; European Center of Security Studies, Germany, and a Fellow of the War College, Nigeria.
