The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has dismissed more than 40 of its personnel over alleged corruption and financial malpractice in the last three years, the commission’s Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, has disclosed.
Olukoyede also revealed that at least five of the affected officers are currently facing prosecution, while case files involving others are being prepared for possible prosecution.
The EFCC chairman made the disclosure on Monday at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja while briefing journalists on the achievements of the anti-graft agency under his leadership.
According to him, the disciplinary measures were necessary to ensure that officers entrusted with fighting corruption do not become involved in the same practices they are mandated to investigate.
“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.
He explained that the commission had adopted a strict approach to internal misconduct, arguing that EFCC personnel accused of corruption should not simply be dismissed when similar offenders outside the agency are investigated and prosecuted.
“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 cases had already reached the courts and could be followed by members of the public, while other investigations were at various stages of preparation for prosecution.
He said the commission had also renamed its former Department of Internal Affairs as the Department of Ethics and Integrity, describing the move as part of efforts to strengthen internal accountability and “cleanse” the agency.
The EFCC boss further disclosed that the commission had introduced a gift policy for its personnel to prevent officers from receiving benefits capable of compromising their duties.
Under the policy, he said, personnel would be required to declare gifts above a specified threshold, including gifts received from relatives living abroad.
He added that the commission would establish clear categories of gifts that officers could accept, stressing that personnel must be able to account for their lifestyles and sources of wealth.
Olukoyede warned that EFCC officials could not credibly prosecute corruption cases while engaging in corrupt practices themselves.
“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.
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