Tinubu to EFCC: Your convictions, recoveries speak loudly

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for its performance in combating economic and financial crimes, saying the agency has justified the confidence placed in it.

Tinubu spoke on Friday in Awka, Anambra State, during the commissioning of the EFCC’s new Zonal Directorate in the state.

Represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, the President said the commission’s achievements in securing convictions and recovering assets demonstrated the impact of its activities.

“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,” Tinubu said.

He said the commission’s activities were aligned with his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly its focus on economic reforms and good governance.

“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,” he said.

“The anti-graft agency complements this agenda as they are focused on accountability and transparency and appropriate deployment of resources.”

Speaking at the event, EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, said the commission would intensify its preventive approach to economic and financial crimes.

Olukoyede said the new zonal directorate would work with government institutions, businesses, financial institutions, professional bodies, schools, markets, civil society organisations, traditional and religious institutions to prevent corruption.

“This new Directorate will not only enforce the law professionally and courageously, it will be high on corruption prevention,” he said.

The EFCC chairman 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 recorded 1,370 convictions from 1,889 cases filed in the first half of 2026.

Olukoyede also said the commission recovered N1.23tn, $684.48m, £373,905.78 and €9.34m, alongside recoveries in other currencies, during the period.

He attributed some of the commission’s progress to 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.

The EFCC chairman urged residents of Anambra and Imo states to use the commission’s whistleblowing channels to report suspected financial crimes.

He said the EFCC’s Eagle Eye application allows members of the public to provide information on suspected wrongdoing without necessarily disclosing their personal details.

However, he cautioned that whistleblowing should be based on facts and should not be used to settle personal scores.

Olukoyede said the establishment of the Awka directorate would bring the commission closer to the economic activities in Anambra and Imo, two states he described as centres of enterprise, commerce and innovation.

Governors Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State and Hope Uzodinma of Imo State commended the EFCC’s activities under Olukoyede and pledged their support for the new directorate.

The commissioning was attended by members of the National Assembly, civil society organisations, community leaders, students and media representatives.