The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has revealed that more than 40 personnel have been dismissed for corruption and financial malpractice since he assumed office.
Olukoyede disclosed that at least five of the dismissed officers are currently facing prosecution, while case files involving other personnel are being prepared for legal action.
The EFCC chairman made the disclosure on Monday during a briefing at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, where he reviewed the agency’s activities and reforms under his leadership.
He said the commission had taken firm action against its own personnel whenever they were found to have engaged in corrupt practices.
“In the past two and a half years or three years of my service, I’ve asked them to dismiss over 40 staff on account of corruption and financial malpractice. More than five of them are being prosecuted at the moment,” Olukoyede said.
According to him, EFCC officers cannot be treated differently from members of the public investigated by the commission for corruption.
He questioned why an officer accused of corruption should only be dismissed without facing prosecution when the same conduct would ordinarily attract investigation and prosecution if committed by someone outside the agency.
“Because if that is what people do in other agencies and I arrest them, I investigate them, I prosecute them, why must I just dismiss you if you do it within our own system and I’m not prosecuting you?” he asked.
Olukoyede said some of the affected officers were already appearing in court, while the commission was compiling evidence and preparing case files against others.
“You can follow those cases in court; they are public knowledge,” he said.
EFCC Introduces Ethics and Integrity Department
The EFCC chairman also disclosed that the commission had renamed its former Department of Internal Affairs as the Department of Ethics and Integrity.
He said the change was part of efforts to strengthen internal accountability and reinforce the commission’s commitment to what he described as “internal cleansing”.
Olukoyede said the EFCC must maintain high ethical standards among its personnel if it is to effectively investigate and prosecute corruption cases across the country.
New Gift Policy for EFCC Personnel
The commission has also introduced a gift policy designed to promote transparency and accountability among its officers.
Under the policy, EFCC personnel will be required to declare gifts above a specified threshold, including gifts received from relatives living abroad.
The commission will also establish categories of gifts that officers are permitted to accept.
Olukoyede explained that the policy would help the agency monitor officers’ sources of wealth and ensure that their lifestyles are consistent with their legitimate income.
“You must be sure that your hands are clean. You can’t be fighting corruption when your hands are soiled with corrupt practices,” he said.
The measures, according to the EFCC chairman, are part of broader efforts to strengthen discipline, transparency and integrity within the commission while ensuring that its personnel remain accountable in the fight against financial crimes.
