The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ola Olukoyede, says more than 40 staff members have been dismissed for corruption and financial malpractice in the last three years.
Olukoyede disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at a media interactive session to mark his three-year stewardship at the commission’s headquarters.
The chairman also revealed that about five EFCC staff members are currently being prosecuted for alleged corrupt practices.
He said that within the past two and a half to three years of his tenure, he had ordered the dismissal of more than 40 personnel over corruption and financial malpractice, while more than five others were facing prosecution.
Olukoyede said some of the affected personnel were already being prosecuted, while case files involving others were being prepared for prosecution.
He explained that the cases could be followed in court because they were matters of public knowledge, stressing that EFCC personnel who engaged in corruption should face the same investigative and prosecutorial processes applied to other Nigerians.
The EFCC chairman said the disciplinary measures were part of efforts to ensure that the commission’s personnel met the same standards of accountability it demanded from members of the public.
According to him, officers fighting corruption must maintain clean records and avoid engaging in corrupt practices themselves.
Olukoyede also announced the renaming of the commission’s former Internal Affairs Department to the Department of Ethics and Integrity as part of efforts aimed at strengthening internal discipline.
He said the commission had introduced a gift policy to promote transparency and prevent conflicts of interest among its personnel.
Under the policy, staff members would be required to declare gifts above a specified value, including gifts received from friends and relatives within and outside Nigeria.
The chairman added that the commission would define the categories of gifts personnel could accept and require officers to account for their sources of income and standard of living.
Olukoyede called for stronger institutional reforms and policy changes to tackle corruption, arguing that law enforcement alone could not win the fight against financial crimes.
He said an effective approach to fighting financial crime should focus on policy regimes and institutional reforms capable of closing loopholes and preventing leakages.
The EFCC chairman also urged the media and civil society organisations to return to their watchdog roles in the fight against corruption.