EFCC Sacks Over 20 Officers For Fraudulent Activities, Misconduct

Israel Adeleke 

OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports that as part of the anti-corruption agency moves to rid it fold of fraudulent elements and its quest to enforce integrity, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), has revealed that 27 officers were sacked from its workforce in 2024.

OTN News further reports that the Spokesperson for EFCC, Dele Oyewale, who revealed this in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja explained that the EFCC officers were dismissed for various offences bordering on fraudulent activities and misconduct.

Furthermore, he indicated that they were sacked based on the recommendation of Staff Disciplinary Committee of the EFCC which was ratified by the Commission’s Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede.

The anti-graft agency who also reiterated Olukoyede’s commitment to zero tolerance for corruption in the statement quoted his words as warning that no officer is immune to disciplinary measures.

“Every modicum of allegation against any staff of the Commission would always be investigated, including a trending $400,000 claim of a yet-to-be-identified supposed staff of the EFCC against a Sectional Head. The core values of the Commission are sacrosanct and would always be held in optimal regard at all times.

The Commission also alerted the public of the sinister activities of impersonators and blackmailers who are allegedly using the name of its Executive Chairman to extort money from high-profile suspects being investigated by the EFCC in the statement.

It added that two members of an alleged syndicate, Ojobo Joshua and Aliyu Hashim were recently arraigned before Justice Jude Onwuebuzie of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Abuja for allegedly contacting a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Mr. Mohammed Bello-Kaka and demanding $1million from him for “Olukoyede to give him soft landing” on a non-existing investigation. Such characters are still on the loose seeking victims.

“Olukoyede remains a man of integrity that cannot be swayed by monetary influences. The public is enjoined to always report such disreputable elements to the Commission” the statement indicated

OTN News further reports that the Commission also said it is aware of moves being hatched in some quarters to blackmail officers of the Commission through unwholesome means.

“Suspects being investigated for some economic and financial crimes who have failed to compromise their investigators would always clutch at any straw. Such blackmailers should not be accorded any form of attention,” the statement concluded.