The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has strongly refuted recent allegations of misconduct and lack of transparency published in a widely circulated article titled “EFCC’s alarming impunity,” written by veteran journalist Steve Osuji.
In a detailed statement signed by the Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, the commission described the publication as a poorly researched and misleading attack on the institution and its Executive Chairman, Mr Ola Olukoyede. According to the commission, the article amounted to a campaign of calumny driven by falsehoods, bias, and personal interests.
Oyewale questioned the credibility of the article, arguing that it offered no verifiable proof to support the claim that Olukoyede lacked integrity, transparency or accountability. He stated that under Olukoyede’s leadership, the commission had recorded several significant achievements in Nigeria’s anti-corruption war, including the recovery of over 750 duplexes and handling of more than 50000 case files within a year.
The commission also highlighted international endorsements of its current leadership, noting that top officials from the FBI and the UK’s National Crime Agency had recently visited Nigeria to commend Olukoyede’s efforts and seek stronger partnerships in fighting organised crime.
Refuting further claims made in the publication, Oyewale insisted that the EFCC submits its statutory reports to the National Assembly without fail. He described as laughable the allegation that the commission does not keep records or account for recovered funds. According to him, all monetary recoveries are handled through the Central Bank in accordance with the Proceeds of Crime Act, 2022, and non-monetary assets are disposed of through due legal processes.
Citing recent directives from President Bola Tinubu, Oyewale explained that funds recovered by the EFCC were transparently transferred to initiatives like NELFUND and CREDICORP, which have since been positively impacting the lives of Nigerians.
The EFCC also dismissed accusations of asset re-looting, pointing to recent verified redeployments of recovered funds, including the transformation of NOK University, recovered from a former public official, into a Federal University of Applied Sciences.
Responding to a specific case referenced in the article concerning a property at No 6 Aso Drive, Asokoro, the EFCC stated that the building was lawfully forfeited to the federal government as proceeds of corruption linked to former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke. Oyewale clarified that Justice Musa Liman of the Federal High Court had granted the EFCC possession of the property in March 2025 and that no facts were misrepresented in court to secure the order. He linked the criticism to personal grievances, particularly from a former tenant in the building, Ikechi Emenike.
Concluding the statement, the EFCC reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, due process, and accountability. The commission called on Nigerians to reject false narratives and support its ongoing efforts to cleanse the country of corruption.
