The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has dismissed more than 40 of its personnel over alleged corruption and financial misconduct in the past two and a half years, Chairman Ola Olukoyede has disclosed.
Olukoyede made the disclosure on Monday in Abuja while speaking with media executives and journalists, explaining that the disciplinary measures formed part of efforts to uphold integrity within the anti-graft agency.
The EFCC chairman said more than five of the dismissed personnel are currently facing prosecution, while case files involving other staff members were being prepared for legal action.
He maintained that the commission must hold its own personnel to the same standards of accountability expected from individuals and institutions being investigated for corruption.
“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,” the anti-graft agency boss told journalists.
Olukoyede also disclosed that the commission had introduced additional safeguards to strengthen ethical conduct among its workforce, including a gift policy governing the acceptance and declaration of gifts by personnel.
Under the proposed framework, staff would be required to declare assets above a specified threshold, including gifts received from relatives living abroad.
He said the commission would establish categories and value limits for gifts that personnel could accept, stressing that the policy would help ensure that officers could explain their sources of livelihood and standard of living.
The EFCC chairman warned that officers entrusted with combating corruption could not credibly perform that responsibility while participating in corrupt practices themselves.
As part of its internal reforms, Olukoyede said the commission had also changed the name of its former Department of Internal Affairs to the Department of Ethics and Integrity, reflecting a renewed emphasis on professional conduct and accountability.
EFCC Reports N288.1bn in Tax Recoveries
Beyond its internal disciplinary measures, Olukoyede said the commission’s enforcement activities had contributed to revenue mobilisation, with federal and state tax recoveries reaching approximately N288.1 billion during the period under review.
He put federal tax recoveries at about N173.2 billion, while N114.9 billion was attributed to state internal revenue services.
“This is fiscal value recovered through enforcement of existing obligations, not through the imposition of new taxes,” he said.
The EFCC chairman further disclosed that approximately N257.2 billion in naira recoveries had been recorded for federal ministries, departments and agencies.
EFCC Recovered N1.23tn, $684.48m in Three Years
Olukoyede said the commission recovered N1.23 trillion, $684.48 million, £373,905.78 and €9.34 million between October 1, 2023, and June 30, 2026.
He explained that N397.26 billion, representing 33 per cent of the naira recoveries, constituted direct recoveries for the Federal Government.
The remaining N836.34 billion, or 67 per cent, represented indirect recoveries made on behalf of ministries, departments and agencies, state revenue services, companies, individuals and foreign victims.
On the disbursement of recovered funds, Olukoyede said N661.32 billion and $492.37 million had been released to beneficiaries within the period.
According to him, the naira disbursements included approximately N325.35 billion paid directly to individuals and corporate organisations, while N335.97 billion went to various MDAs, the Nigerian Revenue Service and state internal revenue services, among other beneficiaries.
The figures, he said, reflect the commission’s broader efforts to recover public funds, enforce financial obligations and strengthen accountability across government and the wider economy.
