The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has disclosed that more than 40 officials of the anti-graft agency have been dismissed over alleged corruption and financial misconduct since he assumed office in October 2023.
Mr. Olukoyede made the disclosure on Monday, August 31 in Abuja while assessing the commission’s achievements under his leadership, saying more than five of the dismissed officials were already facing prosecution, while case files were being prepared against others.
“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,” he told journalists.
The EFCC chairman said the disciplinary measures were part of broader reforms aimed at ensuring that officers entrusted with fighting financial crimes maintain the highest standards of integrity.
He disclosed that the commission’s Department of Internal Affairs had, under his leadership, been renamed the Department of Ethics and Integrity.
Mr. Olukoyede also said the commission had introduced a policy regulating gifts and hospitality to guard against conflicts of interest.
Under the policy, EFCC officers are required to declare gifts above a specified threshold, including gifts received from relatives abroad.
“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 EFCC investigates financial crimes including fraud, money laundering and corruption, with politicians, public officials, businessmen and other individuals regularly coming under its scrutiny.
Mr. Olukoyede, 56, also presented what he described as a record of significant achievements by the commission since he took office.
According to him, the EFCC recovered N1.23 trillion between October 2023 and July 2026, while securing a conviction rate of more than 75 per cent.
He said the commission received 49,673 petitions, investigated 39,615 cases, filed 14,476 cases in court and secured 10,872 convictions during the period.
In the first half of 2026 alone, Olukoyede said the commission secured 1,370 convictions from 1,889 cases filed.
“These results reflect diligence, resilience and a prosecutorial approach anchored on evidence and courtroom outcomes,” he said.
However, figures presented at the briefing showed that the EFCC’s workload is increasingly being driven by cybercrime and fraud cases, alongside its traditional pursuit of corruption cases involving high-profile public officials.
The EFCC did not provide further details on the specific allegations against the more than 40 dismissed officials when requested.
