‘You Can’t Fight Corruption With Soiled Hands’ — EFCC Sacks 40 Officers, Prosecutes Five

• EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede says more than 40 officers have been dismissed for corruption and financial malpractice in the last three years.

• At least five other personnel are currently being prosecuted, while case files involving additional officers are being prepared for court as the anti-graft agency renames the Internal Affairs Department as the Department of Ethics and Integrity.

• New gift policy requires officers to declare gifts above a specified value and account for their sources of income and standard of living.

• Olukoyede says institutional reforms that block financial leakages are more effective in fighting corruption than law enforcement alone.

September 01, () — The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has disclosed that more than 40 officers of the anti-graft agency have been dismissed for corruption and financial malpractice in the last three years.

Olukoyede disclosed on Monday in Abuja at a media interactive session to mark his three-year stewardship at the commission.

The EFCC chairman also revealed that at least five officers are currently being prosecuted for alleged corrupt practices, while case files involving other personnel are being prepared for prosecution.

He said the actions were part of a deliberate effort to cleanse the commission and ensure that officers responsible for investigating financial crimes were themselves held to the same standards of accountability demanded of other Nigerians.

“In the past two and a half to three years of my service, I have 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, some of the affected officers are already facing trial, while investigations into others are at different stages.

“You can follow those cases in court; they are public knowledge,” he said.

Olukoyede questioned why EFCC personnel accused of corruption should be treated differently from suspects investigated by the commission.

“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.

The EFCC chairman said officers must maintain personal integrity if the commission is to retain the confidence of Nigerians in its anti-corruption mandate.

“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.

EFCC Renames Internal Affairs Department

As part of measures to strengthen internal accountability, Olukoyede announced the renaming of the commission’s former Internal Affairs Department to the Department of Ethics and Integrity. He said the development formed part of the EFCC’s broader drive for what he described as “internal cleansing”.

The new structure is expected to place greater emphasis on ethical conduct, integrity and accountability among personnel of the commission.

Olukoyede said the EFCC must lead by example, stressing that its credibility in investigating and prosecuting financial crimes would be undermined if its own officers were allowed to engage in similar misconduct.

The commission has also introduced a gift policy designed to strengthen transparency and prevent conflicts of interest among its personnel.

Under the policy, officers will be required to declare gifts above a specified value, including gifts received from friends and relatives both within Nigeria and abroad.

“The commission will also define the categories of gifts personnel can accept and require officers to account for their sources of income and standard of living,” Olukoyede said.

The policy is intended to prevent officers from receiving inappropriate benefits that could compromise their official duties or create conflicts of interest.

The chairman said personnel would increasingly be expected to explain their sources of income and demonstrate that their lifestyles were consistent with their legitimate earnings.

Law Enforcement Alone Cannot Win War Against Corruption

Olukoyede also argued that Nigeria cannot successfully defeat corruption through arrests, investigations, and prosecutions alone.

He said the country must place greater emphasis on institutional reforms and policies that prevent public funds and other resources from being diverted in the first place.

“The most effective system that fights financial crime is not law enforcement. It is the policy regime, institutional reforms that close leakages,” he said.

According to him, a stronger system of financial controls would reduce the opportunities available to individuals seeking to exploit weaknesses in government institutions.

While enforcement remains necessary to punish offenders and serve as a deterrent, he maintained that preventive measures would provide a more sustainable solution to financial crimes.

The EFCC chairman further called on the media and civil society organisations to strengthen their watchdog roles in the fight against corruption.

He stressed that journalists and civil society groups have an important responsibility to expose wrongdoing, scrutinise public institutions and demand accountability from government officials and other holders of public trust.