Why EFCC sacked 40 personnel – Olukoyede

Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, has revealed that more than 40 personnel of the anti-graft agency have been dismissed for corruption and financial malpractice since he assumed office.

Olukoyede made the disclosure Monday during a press briefing at the Agency’s headquarters in Abuja, where he reviewed the activities of the commission under his leadership.

He said more than five of the dismissed officers were currently facing prosecution, while case files were being prepared for the prosecution of 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. More than five of them are being prosecuted at the moment,” he said.

The anti- corruption boss said the commission would not protect its own personnel from prosecution when they were found engaging in corrupt practices similar to those the agency investigates among members of the public.

He questioned why an EFCC official found guilty of corruption should only be dismissed and not prosecuted when members of the public involved in similar offences are investigated and prosecuted.

“When people holding public offices are accused of corruption, I arrest, investigate and 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 some of the affected personnel were already standing trial, while the commission was working on case files against others.

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

Olukoyede also disclosed that the EFCC had renamed its former Department of Internal Affairs as the Department of Ethics and Integrity.

According to him, the change was part of efforts to strengthen internal accountability and demonstrate the commission’s commitment to what he described as “internal cleansing.”

He said the EFCC had also introduced a gift policy for its personnel as part of measures to improve transparency and accountability.

The chairman said officers would be required to declare gifts above a specified threshold, including gifts received from relatives living abroad.

He explained that the commission would establish categories of gifts that personnel could accept under the new policy.

Olukoyede said the measure would help ensure that EFCC officers could adequately account for their means of livelihood and standard of living.

“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.