By Nkechi Eze
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said the achievements recorded by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the fight against economic and financial crimes are aligned with the objectives of his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Tinubu stated this on Friday in Awka, Anambra State, at the commissioning of the new Zonal Directorate of the EFCC, where he commended the Commission for its performance in securing convictions, recovering assets and strengthening the fight against corruption.
Represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, the President said the EFCC had demonstrated that the confidence reposed in the anti-graft agency was well founded.
“Supporting the EFCC is not particularly difficult. The agency has consistently demonstrated that the confidence reposed on it is well founded. Without mincing words, the evidential proof of the EFCC’s success speaks loudly in convictions secured, assets and properties recovered,” he said.
Tinubu noted that two of the major priorities identified by his administration at inception were reforming the economy for sustained and inclusive growth and promoting good governance.
He said the EFCC’s mandate and activities complemented those priorities by promoting accountability, transparency and the appropriate deployment of public resources.
“When we came in three years ago, I highlighted nine major focal areas of my administration. Two of which are reforming the economy for sustained and inclusive growth and promotion of good governance. The anti-graft agency complements this agenda as they are focused on accountability and transparency and appropriate deployment of resources,” the President said.
At the event, EFCC Executive Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, said the Commission was strengthening preventive mechanisms as part of its strategy to tackle economic and financial crimes.
Olukoyede disclosed that between October 2023 and July 2026, the Commission received 49,673 petitions, investigated 39,615 cases, filed 14,476 cases in court and secured 10,872 convictions.
He said the figures represented a 75.1 per cent conviction-to-filing ratio, adding that the Commission secured 1,370 convictions from 1,889 filings in the first half of 2026 alone.
The EFCC chairman also disclosed that the Commission recorded recoveries of N1.233 trillion, $684.48 million, £373,905.78 and €9.34 million, alongside recoveries in other currencies.
According to him, the Commission has also undertaken institutional reforms, including new guidelines on arrest and bail, a review of sting operations and the establishment of the Department of Fraud Risk Assessment and Control, Security Department, Immigration and Visa Section, and Cybercrime Rapid Response Centre.
Olukoyede said the new Awka Directorate would focus not only on enforcement but also on corruption prevention through engagement with government institutions, businesses, financial institutions, professional bodies, schools, markets, civil society organisations, traditional institutions, religious bodies and communities.
He said establishing the Directorate in Awka was intended to bring the EFCC closer to the people and economic activities in Anambra and Imo states, particularly to protect legitimate enterprise from fraud, cybercrime, money laundering, investment fraud and diversion of public resources.
The governors of Anambra and Imo states, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo and Senator Hope Uzodinma, respectively, commended the EFCC under Olukoyede and pledged their support for its operations in the two states.
The commissioning was attended by members of the National Assembly, civil society organisations, community leaders, students, media practitioners and other dignitaries.
