Mr. Ola Olukoyede, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), announced that within the first 100 days of his tenure, the anti-graft agency had received over 5,000 fraud petitions and successfully recovered N60 billion in stolen funds.
Olukoyede revealed that out of the 5,000 petitions, approximately 3,000 had been approved for investigation by the EFCC.
Appointed by President Bola Tinubu on October 12, 2023, Olukoyede succeeded Abdurasheed Bawa, who was removed from office by Tinubu following his suspension and detainment.
Speaking at the 20th-anniversary lecture of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda Resources Centre in Lagos on Saturday, Olukoyede emphasized the challenges faced by the EFCC due to limited resources.
He stressed the importance of collective responsibility in the fight against corruption, urging citizens to report any suspicious activities.
Olukoyede highlighted the agency’s achievements, stating that it had secured convictions in 700 cases and recovered over N60 billion and $10 million within the first four months of his tenure.
He emphasized the magnitude of corruption in the country, suggesting that for every billion recovered, a trillion had been stolen.
In response, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, the Chairman of HEDA, acknowledged the difficulties in combating corruption and called for the collaboration of all Nigerians in the fight against corruption. He advocated for an effective policing system with integrity and emphasized the importance of the judiciary in prosecuting corruption cases.
