Benin City, Nigeria – July 3, 2025 — The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has emphasized the need for stronger synergy and collaboration among Nigeria’s security agencies in the fight against corruption, insecurity, and related criminalities across the nation.
Olukoyede made this call during a study tour by student officers of the Senior Leadership and Staff Officers’ Course 3/2025 of the Nigerian Army College of Logistics and Management (NACOLM), Ojo, Lagos, to the Benin Zonal Directorate of the Commission on Tuesday.
Speaking through the Head of Legal and Prosecution, Assistant Commander of the EFCC (ACE I), Francis Jirbo, the EFCC Chairman maintained that meaningful progress in national security and economic integrity would remain elusive without unified efforts and inter-agency cooperation.
“This war cannot be won by EFCC alone. It requires the collective strength of all security institutions working in harmony,” he stated.
In his welcome remarks, the course instructor, Lieutenant Colonel J.O. Elimian, said the tour, themed “Optimising National Security Through a Whole-of-Society Approach”, aimed to deepen the officers’ understanding of EFCC’s role in bolstering national security.
Delivering a presentation titled “EFCC from the Beginning: Successes and Challenges,” ACE I Williams Oseghale, Head of Media and Publicity at the Benin Zonal Office, provided a comprehensive overview of the Commission’s work since its establishment in April 2003 under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Oseghale highlighted the EFCC’s significant achievements, including thousands of convictions, recovery of looted funds and properties, and increased investor confidence. Notable accomplishments mentioned were the convictions of former governors, bank executives, top-ranking police and military personnel, and civil servants. He also cited the forfeiture of 753 duplexes in Abuja and the arrest of over 190 foreign nationals involved in cybercrime and money laundering in a single operation in Lagos.
However, he also outlined critical challenges facing the Commission, such as threats to EFCC personnel, inadequate funding, slow judicial processes, and widespread public skepticism.
In another briefing, Ibrahim Boyi, Head of the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML), explained the unit’s mandate to monitor and regulate Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs) and Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs). He stressed Nigeria’s commitment to meeting international anti-money laundering standards as set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Expressing appreciation, Major N.H. Shehu delivered the vote of thanks on behalf of the participants, acknowledging that the session significantly broadened their understanding of EFCC’s strategic role in national development and security.
Similarly, the head of the visiting team, Navy Captain N. Lawali, described the EFCC as a vital ally in tackling Nigeria’s security challenges and praised its collaborative approach with other agencies. He noted that insights from the engagement would enrich the content of their leadership training.
The engagement further reinforced the EFCC’s central role in shaping a secure, transparent, and economically resilient Nigeria through collaborative enforcement and public enlightenment.
