EFCC receives 49,673 petitions, secures 10,872 convictions in 34 months

By Goodness Ndukuba, Awka

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) received 49,673 petitions, investigated 39,615 cases and secured 10,872 convictions between October 2023 and July 2026, the Commission’s Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, has disclosed.

Olukoyede gave the figures during the inauguration of the EFCC’s new Zonal Directorate in Awka, Anambra State Capital.

He said the Commission also filed 14,476 cases in court during the period, highlighting the scale of its operations in the fight against economic and financial crimes.

The EFCC Chairman said the establishment of the Awka Zonal Directorate was part of ongoing reforms and expansion of the Commission aimed at bringing its operations closer to Nigerians and strengthening its capacity to tackle financial crimes.

Olukoyede said the Commission was increasingly adopting a preventive approach to financial crimes, rather than waiting until public resources had been diverted before taking action.

He said the EFCC was expanding its collaboration with government institutions to identify areas vulnerable to fraud and strengthen controls to prevent financial crimes.

According to him, the Commission would work with state governments in areas including internally generated revenue, land administration and other activities considered vulnerable to fraud.

He urged Nigerians to develop what he described as a “conscious watch” against corruption and to provide credible information on fraud, diversion of public resources and other financial crimes to the appropriate authorities.

President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, while inaugurating the zonal directorate office said the Federal Government remained committed to strengthening the fight against economic and financial crimes.

He said decentralising the EFCC’s operations in the South-East would ensure that the Commission’s presence and impact reached more sectors of society.

Tinubu commended the EFCC for its efforts in combating corruption, describing the fight against economic and financial crimes as critical to national development.

He assured the Commission of continued Federal Government support to enable it to effectively discharge its mandate.

Governor Chukwuma Soludo, said the state
government would continue to partner with the EFCC in combating economic and financial crimes.

Soludo said Anambra would collaborate with the Commission on taxation and revenue generation, as well as the training of local government staff and civil servants.

Igwe Chidubem Iweka, the President of the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council, expressed concern over the increasing incidence of fraud, popularly known as 419, in the country.

Ginger Onwusibe, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Economic and Financial Crimes , assured Nigerians of the commitment of the EFCC leadership to bringing perpetrators of economic and financial crimes to justice.

Senator Hope Uzodimma, chairman of the
APC Governors’ Forum and Governor of Imo State, welcomed the decentralisation of EFCC operations to the South-East.

He said the establishment of the Awka Zonal Directorate would reduce the burden on residents of the region who previously travelled to Abuja or Lagos for invitations, questioning and other official engagements with the Commission.