The United States Consulate in Lagos and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, have commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for its investigative effectiveness and sustained efforts in combating sextortion and transnational financial crimes.
The commendation came on Monday, July 6, 2026, during a courtesy visit by Assistant Law Enforcement Attaché of the United States Consulate, SSA James Smith, and SSA Thomas Pepper of the Cyber Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation Headquarters, to the Acting Zonal Director of Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE I Bawa Usman Kaltungo, in Ikoyi, Lagos.
Speaking during the interactive session, Smith stated that the visit aimed to strengthen the existing collaboration between the U.S. Consulate and the Commission particularly in the area of information sharing in combating criminal activities involving both Nigerians and foreigners.
He emphasized that closer cooperation would enhance information gathering and intelligence sharing, particularly in ongoing efforts to combat sextortion, cybercrime and other transnational crimes.
Also speaking, Pepper thanked the Commission for the opportunity for the engagement, adding that “Already, we have been enjoying a robust collaboration and partnership with the EFCC in so many cases.
“But I want to state that we are willing to improve the timeliness and efficiency of the investigative information we share with the EFCC.”
According to him, enhanced targeted information sharing would further strengthen the working relationship between the two agencies in tackling sextortion.
He noted that sextortion had become a priority issue in the United States and proposed the establishment of a joint team to facilitate intelligence gathering and information sharing on cases reported to the Commission, as well as requests made by the EFCC to the FBI.
While talking about the proposed joint operation, he pleaded that the Commission expedite investigations into sextortion cases, adding the FBI was working on obtaining additional identifiers that would be shared with the Commission.
Responding, Kaltungo thanked the delegation for the visit, and assured them of utmost cooperation where necessary.
He said: ”Our doors are always open for collaboration. We also maintain similar collaborations with other countries and international partners.
“However, we do need your assistance and support to enable us to track and apprehend these perpetrators in good time.
“The availability of tracking tools will help in making our work faster. I assure you of our continued cooperation and support; and we are here to assist.”
Kaltungo also assured the delegation that the Commission would expedite investigations into the cases presented by the FBI.
In his remarks, the Head, Investigations, ACE11 Moses Oguzi, said the Commission had enjoyed a robust collaboration with the US Government and the FBI over the years.
He, however, urged the FBI to provide a framework for the proposed operation in order to steer the Commission in the specific direction.
He also sought clarification on whether the proposed collaboration would be limited to computer-related fraud or extended to other forms of financial crime, given the increasing incidence of visa fraud.
Responding, Smith assured that a list would be provided as “we have a lot of cases. Also, relevant information tailored to the agreed areas of interest will also be shared to avoid overwhelming the EFCC with unnecessary data.”
