MR Eteng Otu, the National Secretary of the Public Complaints Commission (PCC), says the commission will key into the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, to be able to prosecute persons who hide information.

Otu said this in an interview on Monday in Abuja.

According to him, the commission is ready to entertain complaints of abuse from Nigerians and foreigners alike.

He said that the commission would collaborate with other security and information agencies to ensure that persons who conceal information were punished lawfully.

The FOI Act was signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan in May 2011, to give the public easy access to government information.

"Using the FOI Act, it is possible for you to go to your local government and request for that information; we are also trying to key into that Act to be able to see that some of the executions we used to make, that take a longer time will now take a shorter time.

"By our own Act, you are supposed to submit your information to us on request within 30 days; but within the FOI Act, you are supposed to do so within seven days; from our own act if you default, it's N500 or six months imprisonment; from FOI Act its N500,000 or six months imprisonment.

"There are other areas like that if you falsify information, you can go to prison for one year or even more with the FOI Act; we are trying to key into that FOI Act to help us do our work faster, better.

"People will not know it is an offence until you now hit them up."

Otu said that the commission would design strategies to ensure that it encouraged people to give proper and accurate information to the commission.

According to him, part of the strategies will include educating people in remote and urban areas on their rights to freedom and how to report any form maltreatment by any government, private and public office to the commission.

He gave an assurance that the commission would use powers bestowed on it by the law to quickly dispense of the cases that required immediate attention.