The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has dismissed more than 40 of its personnel over corruption and financial malpractice in the past three years, with at least five others currently facing prosecution.
EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during a media interactive session marking his three-year stewardship at the commission.
‘You Can’t Fight Corruption With Soiled Hands’
Olukoyede said the disciplinary measures were necessary to ensure that EFCC officials meet the same standards of accountability expected from Nigerians investigated by the agency.
“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.
According to the chairman, some of the affected personnel are already before the courts, while case files involving others are being prepared for prosecution.
He questioned why EFCC officers involved in corruption should be treated differently from people the commission investigates and prosecutes.
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“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.
EFCC Renames Internal Affairs Department
As part of what he described as efforts toward “internal cleansing,” Olukoyede announced the renaming of the commission’s former Internal Affairs Department to the Department of Ethics and Integrity.
He said the move was part of broader measures to strengthen ethical standards within the agency and ensure greater accountability among personnel.
New Gift Policy for EFCC Officers
The EFCC chairman also announced the introduction of a new gift policy aimed at preventing conflicts of interest and improving transparency among staff.
Under the policy, personnel will be required to declare gifts above a specified value, including gifts received from friends and relatives in Nigeria and abroad.
The commission will also determine the categories of gifts officers can accept and require personnel to account for their sources of income and standards of living.
Olukoyede Calls for Institutional Reforms
Beyond arrests and prosecutions, Olukoyede argued that Nigeria needs stronger institutions and policies to effectively tackle financial crimes.
According to him, law enforcement alone cannot win the corruption battle.
“The most effective system that fights financial crime is not law enforcement. It is the policy regime, institutional reforms that close leakages,” he said.
He also called on the media and civil society organisations to strengthen their watchdog roles in the fight against corruption.
The latest disclosure places the EFCC’s internal accountability measures at the centre of its three-year record, with the commission insisting that the fight against corruption must begin from within its own ranks.
