In a major internal cleanup, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has dismissed more than 40 staff members over the last three years for corruption and financial malpractice.
The EFCC Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, made this disclosure on Monday in Abuja during a media interactive session held to mark his three-year stewardship at the commission’s headquarters.
Highlighting the commission’s commitment to internal accountability, Olukoyede revealed that at least five of the dismissed personnel are currently facing active prosecution in court, with case files being prepared for others.
He emphasized that law enforcement agencies must hold their own personnel to the exact same rigorous standards they demand of the general public. “You can’t be fighting corruption when your hands are soiled with corrupt practices,” he stated.
As part of these sweeping institutional reforms, the chairman announced the renaming of the commission’s former Internal Affairs Department to the Department of Ethics and Integrity.
Alongside this structural change, the agency has introduced a robust gift policy designed to prevent conflicts of interest and bolster institutional transparency.
Under the new guidelines, personnel are mandated to declare gifts exceeding a specified value—including those from friends and family—while rigorously accounting for their sources of income and overall standards of living.
Olukoyede further stressed that law enforcement alone cannot win the war against financial crimes, calling instead for deeper systemic and policy reforms.
He noted that the most effective deterrents are institutional changes that successfully close financial leakages.
Concluding his address, the EFCC boss urged the media and civil society organizations to continuously uphold their critical watchdog roles in society.
