EFCC's Olukoyede Warns of Severe Public Funds Theft

On Thursday, during the 80th birthday celebration of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Kanu Agabi, Ola Olukoyede, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), raised alarms about the extensive scale of public funds theft in Nigeria. He reported that the EFCC receives over 20,000 petitions annually related to public-sector corruption, many of which are alarming.

Olukoyede stated, “Like every minute, public officers take money,” and urged Nigerians to unite against the fraudulent activities of some leaders. He noted that many public officials enter office with minimal funds but amass significant wealth within a few years, with investigations revealing millions of dollars traced to them.

He also mentioned that some officials acquire numerous properties while in office. Olukoyede stressed that corruption is a major obstacle to Nigeria's development and called for enhanced transparency and accountability among public officials.