When James Ibori, Bukola Saraki and a coalition of other incumbent and former governors facing graft charges recruited Mrs. Farida Waziri to head the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), SaharaReporters did a detailed expose on her recruitment and eventual "clearance" by the Nigerian senate, despite loud protestations from conscientious Nigerian citizens and civic groups Mrs. Waziri was forced on Nigerians as EFCC chairperson.

SaharaReporters has also documented Waziri’s incompetence and many corrupt deals since assuming leadership of the anti-graft agency. Our detailed reports on her stint at the special-fraud unit of the Nigeria Police Force showed that she was in cahoots with major perpetrators of advance fee fraud ("419"). Under her watch, 419 crimes skyrocketed. A source recently disclosed to us that, in her days on the special-fraud unit, she remained a regular face at the Federal Palace Ikoyi hotel suite maintained by Fred Ajudua, a notorious 419 kingpin.

Our more recent investigation into her tenure at the EFCC has revealed a lot more troubling facts of her involvement in direct stealing of EFCC funds. Specifically, she has used her "special assistant" to make cash withdrawals from the agency. These withdrawals have been made under the bogus heading of "information funds".
 
SaharaReporters investigations showed that between June 23 2008 and October 22nd 2008, Mrs. Waziri – with the aid of her blood brother, Yisa Terfa Moses, whom she hired as a special assistant – withdrew the sum of N75 million as “information fund” from the accounts of the EFCC.

In preparation for what started as a petty pilfering of EFCC funds, Mrs. Farida had earlier recruited a police officer of her ethnic stock, a Tiv policeman named James Vandefan Tersudh, to take charge of the accounts department at the EFCC. A breakdown of Mrs. Waziri's "information fund" withdrawals shows that on Monday June 23 2008 she took out N5 million. Three days later, on June 26 2008, she made cash withdrawals of N15 million. She followed up with withdrawals of N15 million on July 22nd 2008 and another N15 million on July 28 2008. 

Waziri’s looting of EFCC funds resumed on August 2nd 2008 with a cash withdrawal of N2 million, followed by another withdrawal of N3 million on August 14th 2008. On September 20th and October 14th 2008 respectively, Mrs. Waziri also took out N20 million in two N10 million installments.

Saharareporters investigators could not determine any specific “information” projects that the withdrawn monies were used for. At any rate, there are no accounts of their usage provided in the account books of the EFCC. However, two sources within the agency told us that Mrs. Waziri used the funds to fete and 'take care' of journalists in an attempt to shore up her badly battered image.

However, the cash withdrawals have coincided with our discovery of Mrs. Waziri's curious purchase of federal government owned properties in the Wuse II area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja. As a retired former Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Mrs. Waziri owned only one plot of land in Maitama area of Abuja. According to our investigations, on May 26 1999, she was allocated Plot 601 at 23 Aso Garden Estate, Maitama Abuja. One Barrister Mike Idoko Ejeh submitted her application.