EFCC unveils training programme to boost financial crime investigations
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has launched a weekly training programme in Enugu designed to raise the quality of its investigations and prosecutions, with a clear emphasis on handling complex financial crime files where cases often fail, not because the crime did not happen, but because evidence presentation collapses in court. 
According to the EFCC, the initiative was introduced by the Commission’s Executive Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, and the weekly sessions are focused on “Documentary Evidence and Admissibility”—a core pressure point in modern financial crime litigation. In plain terms, the EFCC wants its investigators and prosecutors to get better at creating, documenting, and tendering records in a way that survives cross-examination and meets legal standards under the Evidence Act 2011. 
In a post referenced by Punch from the EFCC’s official X handle, the agency said EFCC unveils training programme to boost financial crime investigations by drilling staff on how documentary evidence is created, articulated, and presented in court, with strict compliance to procedural rules. 
Why the EFCC is putting documentary evidence at the centre
In financial crime work, the story is usually inside documents: bank statements, transaction trails, account opening packages, emails, invoices, procurement records, land documents, call logs, photographs, digital outputs, and audit reports. When investigators gather these materials poorly or tender them incorrectly, courts can reject them, weakening the prosecution even before the facts are tested.
That is the logic behind the new plan. EFCC says EFCC unveils training programme to boost financial crime investigations with the goal of ensuring staff can manage complex cases and secure convictions built on “sound legal principles” and “robust, evidence-based investigations.” 
Inside the training: what was taught
The session in Enugu was led by Assistant Commander of the EFCC (ACE II) Okoli Chidiebere Anosike, of the Legal and Prosecution Department, Enugu Zonal Directorate. Anosike’s message was direct: every investigation carries a burden of proof, and that burden is largely carried by oral testimony and documentary evidence. 
He described documentary evidence broadly—anything expressed through letters, figures, marks or other means meant for recording. That includes books, maps, photographs, films and computer outputs—materials that increasingly define financial crime disputes in the digital age. 
He also walked participants through the distinction between public and private documents, noting that public documents are official records from government bodies, while private documents come from individuals or private entities—but can become public once they enter government custody. 
This kind of detail matters because admissibility battles in court often turn on technical questions: what is a “public document”? Is it certified properly? Is the foundation for a computer-generated record established? Was the document pleaded and attached correctly? EFCC’s training is essentially trying to reduce avoidable courtroom losses.
So, EFCC unveils training programme to boost financial crime investigations by returning to basics that decide outcomes in Nigeria’s criminal courts. 
https://ogelenews.ng/efcc-unveils-training-programme
The “trial-within-trial” problem EFCC wants to avoid
One of the most delicate issues in criminal prosecutions is the admissibility of statements—especially extrajudicial statements. EFCC’s Anosike stressed that statements taken outside the presence of a judge must comply with legal safeguards, including proper cautioning of suspects. 
He said the Commission ensures statements are video recorded and that a suspect’s lawyer is present, specifically to prevent disputes about voluntariness and reduce the likelihood of a “trial-within-trial,” a procedure that can slow cases and weaken public confidence in prosecutions. 
This is a key point where the story becomes more than a headline. EFCC unveils training programme to boost financial crime investigations in a way that targets the procedural cracks that defence lawyers regularly exploit—and that courts are obligated to consider.
Admissibility: originals, copies, and the court’s strict gatekeeping
The EFCC trainer also outlined conditions for admitting documents in court: relevance, admissibility under the law, and proper introduction into evidence. He noted that original documents (primary evidence) are directly admissible, while photocopies or digital versions (secondary evidence) require a proper foundation before they can be accepted. 
He added that in criminal trials, documents must be attached to proof of evidence and directly related to the charge, or they risk rejection. 
Again, this is precisely why EFCC unveils training programme to boost financial crime investigations is worth attention: it suggests EFCC is trying to professionalise case-building in a system where technical failures can sink major prosecutions.
Why this matters beyond EFCC
Nigeria’s financial crime space is expanding in complexity: layered transactions, cross-border transfers, digital trails, fintech fraud, procurement manipulation, and asset concealment. Agencies cannot rely on confessions and headlines. They need hard evidence, properly gathered and properly tendered.
Capacity-building is not new in the anti-graft ecosystem. EFCC has been involved in longer training collaborations with other institutions on specialised financial investigation skills.  But what makes this new Enugu programme notable is its weekly cadence and courtroom focus—training built around how cases actually survive judicial scrutiny. 
https://punchng.com/efcc-unveils-training-programme-to-boost-financial-crime-investigations
