Abuja — Director of National Finance Intelligence Unit (NFIU) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Hashina Okaro, has been suspended indefinitely over alleged failure to alert the commission on illegal financial transactions reported to his office.

Daily Independent gathered that EFCC Chairman, Farida Waziri, on Tuesday, ordered the immediate suspension of the director for his "inaction" on such matters bordering on grave misconduct.

A source within the commission hinted that a case of alleged transfer of huge funds from a Rivers State Government account into a personal account which the EFCC uncovered in September was actually reported to the NFIU.

According to him, "the Rivers State's case where hundreds of billions of naira was transferred from one government account to a personal one was actually reported by the bank to the NFIU but the director failed to alert the commission about those transfers."

The source also said during EFCC chairman's recent trip to England, she met with the London Metropolitan Police and Interpol where she discovered that billions of naira was still being transferred out of Nigeria illegally on a daily basis, a situation which has thoroughly embarrassed the commission.

The source said on her return to Nigeria, Waziri launched an inquiry into her findings at the Interpol and the Metropolitan Police to unravel how the illegal transfers escaped the attention of the commission.

It was gathered that the inquiry revealed connivance between banks and money launderers on one hand while the commission was shocked to discover that the reports of some of those transfers were forwarded to NFIU.

"The report of the panel of inquiry showed that there was a connivance between some banks and money launderers to enable such transfers on one hand, but on the other, several of the transfers were reported to the office of the NFIU director as the banks have been directed to do, but for some reason, he failed to alert the commission," the source explained.

"The discovery of Okaro's inaction led to his immediate suspension by the chairman," said the source, adding that the suspension is indefinite.

When Daily Independent sought the spokesman of the commission, Femi Babafemi, who is presently out of the country, for confirmation, he would not comment, saying he had to contact the headquarters before he could confirm.