The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has dismissed more than 40 of its personnel for corruption and financial malpractice since Ola Olukoyede assumed office as chairman, with over five of the affected officers currently facing prosecution.
Olukoyede disclosed this on Monday at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja while briefing journalists on the EFCC’s activities and reforms under his leadership.
He said the commission would not shield its personnel from prosecution when found culpable, insisting that officers entrusted with fighting corruption must themselves maintain the highest standards of integrity.
“You must be sure that your hands are clean. You can’t be fighting corruption when your hands are soiled with corrupt practices,” Olukoyede said.
As part of efforts to strengthen internal accountability, the EFCC has also renamed its former Department of Internal Affairs as the Department of Ethics and Integrity, which Olukoyede described as a key component of the commission’s “internal cleansing” drive.
He further disclosed that the commission had introduced a gift policy requiring personnel to declare gifts above a specified threshold, including those received from relatives abroad, to promote transparency and accountability.
Olukoyede said case files involving other dismissed officers were being prepared for prosecution, stressing that the commission’s anti-corruption mandate must begin from within.
