The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has declared that the commission will go after anyone found to have stolen public funds, regardless of “whether you are from the APC, PDP, Labour Party, NNPP, or SDP.”
Olukoyede made this statement while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday.
“If we discover that you have stolen money, you will have questions to answer, regardless of whether you are from the APC, PDP, Labour Party, NNPP, or SDP,” Olukoyede said.
“So, irrespective of your political affiliation, it is our duty to make sure that we do the right thing. So, for us, the issue is, have you allegedly committed an offence? Have we discovered an issue that you need to answer for? That is what drives our processes; that is what drives our action.”
Olukoyede made the statement in response to growing criticism that the anti-graft agency disproportionately targets opposition figures while allegedly shielding members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The EFCC boss, however, rejected the accusations, saying the EFCC operates based on evidence and the rule of law, not politics.
Olukoyede also noted that statistics from the Commission’s records show that more APC members have faced EFCC charges than politicians from other parties.
He said, “If you check the statistics of our work in the area of investigation and prosecution, particularly high-profile cases, you will perhaps find more members of the ruling party, some of the cases we have done. So, we must be judged fairly.”
He added that it would be an injustice for the Commission to avoid investigating and prosecuting opposition members simply because of what critics might say.
“You will find prominent members of the ruling party as part of the people we have investigated and filed charges against. So, for us to close our eyes to people who perhaps are not members of the ruling political party will be unfair to us and will be an injustice to us.”
Olukoyede also addressed public frustration over the delay in investigating the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, who is accused of diverting ₦30 billion (approximately $24 million) in public funds.
Edu was suspended in January 2024 over the alleged transfer of ₦585 million ($640,000) to a personal account.
Olukoyede responded to critics accusing the EFCC of dragging its feet, saying, “We started the investigation of Betta Edu in January 2024; there are so many angles to the investigation. We are taking our time to uncover all that we need to uncover and have facts.”
