By Uche Onyeali
In a quest to ensure sanity and maintain its integrity, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in 2024, dismissed 27 officers found culpable in fraudulent activities.
This was disclosed in a statement in Abuja by its spokesperson, Dele Oyewale.
Oyewale said the dismissal of the affected officers, who were involved in fraudulent activities and misconduct, was ratified by the EFCC Chairman, Mr Ola Olukoyede, following the recommendation of the staff disciplinary committee.
He said Olukoyede reiterated the commission’s commitment to zero tolerance for corruption, warning that no officer would be immune to disciplinary measures.
“Every modicum of allegation against any staff 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 statement said.
The spokesperson also alerted the public of the activities of impersonators and blackmailers using the name of the commission’s chairman to extort money from high-profile suspects.
Oyewale noted that two members of an alleged syndicate – Ojobo Joshua and Aliyu Hashim – were recently arraigned before Justice Jude Onwuebuzie of the FCT High Court.
“They were arraigned for allegedly contacting a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Mr Mohammed Bello-Koko, and demanding $1 million from him for Olukoyede to give him soft landing on a non-existing investigation.
“Olukoyede remains a man of integrity that cannot be swayed by monetary influences,” he said.
He warned the public that such characters are still on the loose seeking victims.
Oyewale said the EFCC is also aware of moves to blackmail it’s officers through unwholesome means.
“Suspects being investigated for some economic and financial crimes, who have failed to compromise their investigators, will always clutch at any straw.
“Such blackmailers should not be accorded any form of attention. The public is enjoined to always report such disreputable elements to the commission,” he said.
