Nigeria’s anti-graft agency has dismissed more than 40 of its own employees over alleged corruption and financial misconduct, in a move its chairman says is part of efforts to clean up the institution.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman Ola Olukoyede made the disclosure while reviewing the agency’s work since he assumed office in October 2023.
Olukoyede said the action against the employees was taken during his two-and-a-half to three years at the helm, with more than five of those dismissed already facing prosecution.
He added that the EFCC was preparing case files against other former staff members linked to alleged wrongdoing.
"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 Abuja.
The chairman said the agency could not effectively pursue corruption cases while allowing similar conduct among its own officers.
"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 EFCC investigates a range of financial offences, including fraud, money laundering and corruption. Its cases often involve politicians, public officials, business figures and other people accused of handling public funds improperly.
Olukoyede said internal reforms had also been introduced to strengthen accountability within the agency.
One of the changes was the renaming of the EFCC’s Department of Internal Affairs to the "Department of Ethics and Integrity".
The commission has also brought in a policy dealing with gifts and hospitality as part of efforts to prevent conflicts of interest among its officers.
The policy requires employees to declare gifts above a certain value, although the chairman did not give the threshold. The requirement also applies to gifts received from relatives living outside Nigeria.
The EFCC did not provide further information on the specific allegations against its former employees when asked for details.
At the briefing, Olukoyede instead pointed to the agency’s broader results during his tenure, saying it had recovered 1.23 trillion naira ($925m, £683m) and achieved a conviction rate of more than 75%.
The figures covering October 2023 to July 2026 showed that the commission received 49,673 petitions and investigated 39,615 cases.
During the same period, the EFCC filed 14,476 cases in court and secured 10,872 convictions.
The chairman said the agency had continued to record strong results in 2026, with 1,370 convictions from 1,889 filings during the first six months of the year.
"These results reflect diligence, resilience and a prosecutorial approach anchored on evidence and courtroom outcomes."
Figures presented during the review also showed a growing share of the EFCC’s work is now linked to cybercrime and fraud, rather than being limited to corruption cases involving senior public officials.