‘I have fired 40 of my agents for being corrupt’, says Nigeria’s anti-corruption chief

Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency has dismissed more than 40 employees for alleged corruption and financial misconduct over the past three years.

The disclosure was made by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman Ola Olukoyede at an event assessing the agency’s achievements since he took the helm in October 2023.

He said more than five of the dismissed officials were already facing prosecution, while case files are being prepared against others.

The EFCC investigates financial crimes, including fraud, money laundering and corruption – regularly pursuing cases against politicians, public officials, business figures and others accused of misusing public funds.

“In the past two-and-a-half years or three years of my service, I’ve asked them to dismiss over 40 staff on account of corruption and financial malpractice,” Olukoyede told journalists at the briefing in the capital, Abuja.

He went on to explain that as part of the reforms he had overseen at the agency, the EFCC’s Department of Internal Affairs had been renamed “the Department of Ethics and Integrity”.

To fight against conflicts of interest, a policy on gifts and hospitality had also been introduced.

It requires officers to declare gifts above a certain threshold – which he did not specify – including gifts received from relatives abroad.

“You must be sure that your hands are clean. You can’t be fighting corruption when your hands are soiled with corrupt practices,” Olukoyede said.

The BBC asked the EFCC for more details about the alleged corruption involving its former staff members, but the agency said this information was not available.

It was keen to point to its other achievements over the last three years – highlighted at Monday’s briefing.

Olukoyede, 56, said he had overseen a record-breaking time for the EFCC, recovering 1.23 trillion naira ($925m, £683m), with a conviction rate of more than 75%.

“The commission received 49,673 petitions, investigated 39,615 cases, filed 14,476 cases in court and secured 10,872 convictions between October 2023 and July 2026,” he said.

In the first half of 2026 alone, it had recorded 1,370 convictions from 1,889 filings, the EFCC chairman added.

“These results reflect diligence, resilience and a prosecutorial approach anchored on evidence and courtroom outcomes.”

Other figures disclosed at the event show that the EFCC’s caseload is increasingly focused on cybercrime and fraud rather than just corruption cases against high-profile officials.