EFCC Sacks Over 40 Staff Over Corruption Scandal

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has dismissed more than 40 of its personnel over alleged corruption and financial misconduct in the last two and a half years.

EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, disclosed this on Monday, August 31, 2027, in Abuja while speaking with media executives and journalists, Naija News reports.

According to him, more than five of the dismissed officers are currently facing prosecution, while case files involving other personnel are being prepared for legal action.

Olukoyede said the disciplinary measures were part of efforts by the commission to ensure that its personnel maintain the highest level of integrity while investigating and prosecuting corruption cases.

“In the past two and a half years or 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. You can follow those cases in court; they are public knowledge,” he said.

The EFCC boss maintained that officers of the commission cannot effectively fight corruption if they are themselves involved in corrupt practices.

He disclosed that the agency had also introduced measures aimed at strengthening accountability among its personnel.

One of such measures, he said, was a new gift policy designed to regulate the acceptance and declaration of gifts received by EFCC staff.

Olukoyede explained that personnel would be required to declare gifts above a specified value, including gifts received from relatives based abroad.

He said the commission would determine the categories and monetary value of gifts that staff members could accept, noting that the policy would help ensure that officers could account for their sources of income and standard of living.

As part of the internal reforms, Olukoyede also disclosed that the former Department of Internal Affairs had been renamed the Department of Ethics and Integrity.

He said the change was aimed at strengthening internal accountability and ensuring that the commission maintained the same standards of integrity it demands from individuals and organizations under investigation.

Meanwhile, the EFCC chairman revealed that the commission’s anti-corruption activities had contributed significantly to revenue mobilization across the country.

He disclosed that federal and state tax recoveries during the period under review amounted to approximately ₦288.1 billion.

The figure, according to him, comprised ₦173.2 billion recovered in federal taxes and ₦114.9 billion attributed to state internal revenue services.

“This is fiscal value recovered through enforcement of existing obligations, not through the imposition of new taxes,” Olukoyede said.

He further disclosed that approximately ₦257.2 billion had been recovered for federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).

Giving a breakdown of the commission’s overall recoveries, Olukoyede said the EFCC recovered ₦1.23 trillion, $684.48 million, £373,905.78 and €9.34 million between October 1, 2023, and June 30, 2026.

He explained that ₦397.26 billion, representing 33 per cent of the naira recoveries, constituted direct recoveries for the Federal Government.

The remaining ₦836.34 billion, representing 67 per cent, was recovered indirectly on behalf of MDAs, state revenue services, companies, individuals and foreign victims.

On the utilization of recovered funds, the EFCC chairman said ₦661.32 billion and $492.37 million had been released to beneficiaries within the period.

He said ₦325.35 billion of the amount was paid directly to individuals and corporate organizations, while another ₦335.97 billion was released to various MDAs, the Nigerian Revenue Service and state internal revenue services, among other beneficiaries.

Olukoyede stressed that the measures were part of the commission’s broader efforts to strengthen transparency, accountability and public confidence in the fight against corruption.