The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, says more than 40 employees of the agency have been dismissed over corruption and financial malpractice within the past three years.
Olukoyede disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during a media interactive session held to mark his three-year tenure at the commission’s headquarters.
He also revealed that about five EFCC personnel are currently facing prosecution over alleged corrupt practices.
“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,” he said.
The EFCC chairman explained that while some of the affected personnel are already before the courts, case files involving others are being prepared for prosecution.
“You can follow those cases in court; they are public knowledge.
“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 the disciplinary actions were aimed at ensuring that EFCC officials were subjected to the same accountability standards the commission expects from members of the public.
“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.
He also announced the renaming of the commission’s former Internal Affairs Department to the Department of Ethics and Integrity as part of its efforts towards “internal cleansing.”
According to him, the commission has equally introduced a gift policy designed to improve transparency and prevent conflicts of interest.
Under the new policy, EFCC personnel will be required to declare gifts above a specified value, including those received from friends and relatives both within and outside Nigeria.
“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,” he added.
The EFCC chairman called for stronger institutional reforms and policy changes to tackle corruption, arguing that law enforcement alone cannot effectively address financial crimes.
“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 urged the media and civil society organisations to strengthen their watchdog roles in the fight against corruption.