EFCC Dismisses 27 Officers from Duty over Fraud and Misconduct
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) fired 27 of its officers in 2024, Neusroom understand.
The anti-graft agency made this known in a statement signed by its head, media & publicity, Dele Oyewale.
According to the agency, “its quest to enforce integrity and rid its fold of fraudulent elements” was one of the reasons for their sacking.
EFCC says their sack was endorsed by its Executive Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede.
Olukoyede insisted that no EFCC officer is above the law and that the agency frowns upon acts of corruption.
“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 Chairman said.
The agency also used the opportunity to draw the attention of the general public to the acts of a group of persons involved in impersonating its Executive Chairman, with a view to extorting money off big name suspects the agency is presently investigating.
The EFCC noted that these impersonators employ tactics of blackmail in achieving their purpose.
They named one Ojobo Joshua and Aliyu Hashim as alleged members of a syndicate recently arraigned at the High Court sitting in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, by the EFCC.
The accused were said to have contacted ex-Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mr. Mohammed Bello-Kaka and demanded the sum of $1million from him in exchange for his case with the EFCC to be dismissed.
“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 further said.
“Additionally, the EFCC 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 EFCC spokesman stated.
