The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (NAN) says it has secured 15 convictions of corruption cases in the South East between January and December 2018.

The commission also said it had 230 ongoing cases in various courts across the zone.

The South East Zonal Head of Operations of the Commission, Mr Usman Imam disclosed this on Monday in Enugu during a road work to mark the 2018 International Anti-Corruption Day.

Imam said that the celebration followed a United Nations Treaty on Convention against Corruption which was ratified by Nigeria.

He said that the treaty was in recognition of the far reaching impact of corruption and economic crime that undermined democracy and the rule of law.

The EFCC zonal head said that the anti-corruption agency had been robust in its sensitisation and enlightenment mandates.

“It is important that as we mark this day we should not lose focus on the relationship between corruption and development,” he said.

The zonal head said that Nigeria could not achieve any meaningful result without the support and cooperation of Nigerians.

“Fighting corruption requires vigorous and collective participation of everybody. Those who have been identified as corrupt among the people must not be given chieftaincy titles and must be alienated as deterrent to others,” he said.

Imam said that the Federal Government’s whistle blower policy must be embraced in the South East.

“This is even more critical now as 2019 elections are around the corner. The fight against corruption starts from knowing who to vote for during ballot. You have no moral grounds to complain that a government is corrupt if you vote them because of certain personal gains,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other agencies including the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the military, FRSC and other security agencies participated in the walk. (NAN)