The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has disclosed that more than 40 personnel of the anti-graft agency have been dismissed for alleged corruption and financial malpractice since he assumed office.
Olukoyede made the disclosure on Monday at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja while highlighting the activities and achievements of the commission under his leadership.
He said the disciplinary measures were necessary to uphold the integrity of the agency and maintain public confidence in its anti-corruption mandate.
According to him, some of the dismissed officials are already facing prosecution, while case files involving others are being prepared for court.
“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.
The EFCC chairman stressed that commission officials must be subjected to the same standards they enforce on members of the public.
He questioned why officers accused of corruption should merely be dismissed when the agency prosecutes individuals outside the organisation for similar offences.
“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 proceedings involving some of the affected officials could be monitored by members of the public because the cases were before the courts.
“You can follow those cases in court; they are public knowledge,” he added.
The EFCC boss also announced the renaming of the agency’s former Internal Affairs Department to the Department of Ethics and Integrity, describing the move as part of efforts to strengthen discipline and deepen internal accountability.
He further disclosed that the commission was introducing a gift policy to regulate what personnel could receive and the manner in which such gifts must be declared.
Under the proposed policy, EFCC officials would be required to declare gifts exceeding a specified value, including cash or items received from relatives residing outside Nigeria.
Olukoyede explained that the policy was aimed at promoting transparency and enabling the commission to establish whether the lifestyles and assets of its personnel could be adequately explained.
“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.
He maintained that internal accountability would remain a critical component of the EFCC’s anti-corruption campaign, stressing that officers entrusted with fighting financial crimes must demonstrate the highest standards of integrity.
