The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has dismissed more than 40 staff members for corruption and financial malpractice in the last three years.
Ola Olukoyede, EFCC chairman, disclosed this on Monday at a media interactive session in Abuja to mark his three-year stewardship at the commission.
Olukoyede said about five other EFCC personnel were currently facing prosecution over alleged corrupt practices, while case files involving other dismissed officers were being prepared for prosecution.
“In the past two and a half to 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,” he said.
The EFCC chairman said the disciplinary measures were necessary to ensure that the commission’s personnel were held to the same accountability standards they imposed on members of the public.
“You can follow those cases in court; they are public knowledge.
“If that is what people do in other agencies and I arrest them, I investigate them, I prosecute them, why must I just dismiss you if you do it within our own system and I’m not prosecuting you?” he asked.
Olukoyede said EFCC officers must maintain high ethical standards, stressing that personnel involved in corrupt practices could not effectively enforce the commission’s mandate.
“You must be sure that your hands are clean. You can’t be fighting corruption when your hands are soiled with corrupt practices,” he said.
As part of efforts to strengthen internal accountability, Olukoyede announced the renaming of the commission’s former Internal Affairs Department to the Department of Ethics and Integrity.
He said the department would form part of the commission’s efforts at “internal cleansing”.
The EFCC chairman also disclosed that the commission had introduced a gift policy to promote transparency and prevent conflicts of interest among its personnel.
Under the policy, staff would be required to declare gifts above a specified value, including gifts received from friends and relatives in Nigeria and abroad.
He said the commission would also define the categories of gifts personnel could accept and require officers to account for their sources of income and standard of living.
Olukoyede said the measures were aimed at strengthening institutional integrity and ensuring that EFCC personnel remained above reproach while carrying out their duties.
He also called for broader institutional reforms to tackle financial crimes, arguing that law enforcement alone could not effectively address corruption.
“The most effective system that fights financial crime is not law enforcement. It is the policy regime, institutional reforms that close leakages,” he said.
The EFCC chairman urged the media and civil society organisations to strengthen their watchdog roles in the fight against corruption.
