Corruption Fight: Yes, Olukoyede’s EFCC is Selective
*Corruption Fight: Yes, Olukoyede’s EFCC is Selective*
*By Anthony Ojelimafe/Abuja*
There are allegations of selective prosecution of economic and financial crimes cases against Olanipekun Olukoyede, the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Nigeria’s foremost anti-corruption agency. Among the purveyors of this allegation is the former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressive’s Congress, APC, Timi Frank. Frank recently accused the Olukoyede – led EFCC of selective prosecution. Similarly, the African Democratic Congress, ADC, through its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, also recently accused the Commission of executing selective investigations and behaving like a political hit squad for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Some of these allegations would ordinarily have been disregarded and consigned to the trash bin, being largely borne out of mischief. However, leaving them unchallenged could leave undiscerning minds concluding that the allegations were correct representation of reality.
I am not here to put up a defence of the Commission’s investigation strategy. But I will concede that the Commission is selective to the extent that petitions received on a daily basis have to be sieved to ensure that only those petitions with merit are attended to. In that case, it is selective to the extent that only those who have soiled their hands, those who have dipped their hands in public treasury have reasons to be worried about the EFCC. Remember, the Eagle, the Commission’s symbol, has extraordinary vision and also holds significant spiritual and metaphysical properties. It is often associated with heightened perception, visionary clarity, and the ability to see beyond the superficial. The Eagle will not be biased to the point of twisting facts against the innocent.
To put a lie to the mischievous representation of the duo of Abdullahi and Frank, let us undertake a trip down memory lane, of the exploits of the Olukoyede – led as it relates with the investigation and prosecution of chieftains of the ruling All Progressives Party, APC.
The Commission, on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, arraigned former Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah, and one, Gloria Odita, before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Maitama, Abuja, on multiple counts bordering on alleged fraud, obtaining by false pretence, and criminal breach of trust. According to the charge sheet presented before the trial Judge, Justice Hamza Muazu, the former Minister and her co-defendant were accused of conspiring in January 2014 to obtain a total sum of N2,469,030,738.90 (Two Billion, Four Hundred and Sixty-Nine Million, Thirty Thousand, Seven Hundred and Thirty-Eight Naira, Ninety Kobo) from the Federal Ministry of Aviation through Broad Waters Resources Nigeria Ltd and Global Offshore Marine Ltd under alleged fraudulent pretext.
Mr. Hadi Sirika, a member of the ruling All Progressive Party, APC, and a former aviation minister, who served as minister in the late President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, was investigated by the EFCC and was subsequently charged before two separate courts. In the first case, he is accused of a N2.8 billion contract fraud. The other defendants in the case are Sirika’s daughter, Fatima Sirika, her husband, Jalal Hamma, and the couple’s firm, Al Buraq Global Investment. Sirika is accused of using his power to confer an unfair advantage on Al Buraq Global Investment Limited, the company linked to his daughter and her husband. This allegedly involved a N1.5 billion contract for the Katsina Airport apron extension. The EFCC said the act violates Section 12 of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Act. In the other case, Mr. Sirika is charged alongside his brother and two companies with abuse of office and contract fraud, allegedly involving N19.4 billion.
The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Thursday, December 11, 2025, dismissed another APC Chieftain, former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman’s no-case submission in the N33.8 billion money laundering charges instituted against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). In July 2024, the Commission arraigned Mr. Mamman, on 12 counts of money laundering and conspiracy with officials at the ministry and some private companies to “indirectly convert” N33.8 billion meant for the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects. Justice James Omotosho, in a ruling on the no-case submission, held that EFCC had established a prima facie case against Mr. Mamman ordering him to enter his defence in the case.
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In December 2025, the Commission arraigned a former Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, an APC Chieftain, for an alleged contract fraud. Ngige, who also served as Governor of Anambra State from 2003 to 2006, was brought before a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Gwarinpa on Friday, December 12, 2025, to answer an eight-count charge. According to the charge sheet, the EFCC accused the former minister of abusing his office by awarding a series of contracts to associates and companies connected to him. In count one, the Commission alleged that between September 2015 and May 2023, while overseeing the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Ngige approved seven consultancy, training, and supply contracts worth N366,470,920.68 for Cezimo Nigeria Limited.
The Commission, on November 10, 2025, declared wanted, a chieftain of the APC and former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, over an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion of US$14,859,257. The funds, according to the Commission, were provided by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board for Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical.
The prosecution of Godwin Emefiele, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and a Chieftain of the APC is an interesting read. The former CBN governor is facing myriads of corruption litigation in Lagos and Abuja jurisdiction. The Commission in 2025, secured a final forfeiture order of an estate in Abuja allegedly belonging to him. The Commission, following painstaking investigation, also accuses Emefiele of unlawfully domiciling large sums of money in proxy accounts between 2019 and 2022. According to one of the charges, N167 million was domiciled in a Zenith Bank account in 2019; N1.23 billion was held in Kelvito Integrated Services’ account in 2020; nearly N3 billion was under control in 2021 in the same account; N1.98 billion in 2022 in Kelvito Integrated Services’ account; N900 million and N600 million in Ifedigo Integrated Services’ accounts. The EFCC alleged these sums were reasonably suspected to have been unlawfully obtained. In addition to the above, the EFCC alleges that in January 2021, Emefiele forged a document titled “Irrevocable Power of Attorney Between MG Properties Limited and H and Y Business Global Limited,” intending to mislead regarding the document’s authenticity and authority. This is said to contravene sections 319, 362, and 364 of the Penal Code. Apart from the charges in Abuja, he faces other corruption allegations in Lagos, including fraudulent foreign exchange allocation amounting to $2 billion, criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, and conferring undue advantage.
Another chieftain of the APC and former Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello, is under prosecution for money laundering to the tune of over N110 Billion. He is currently being prosecuted before Justice Emeka Nwite at the Federal High Court in Abuja on a 19-count indictment and also before Justice Maryam Anenih of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on 16 charges of alleged breach of trust. The two prosecutions are running concurrently.
Ngozi Olejeme, the former Chairperson of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF and a Chieftain of the APC, was arraigned by the Olukoyede led EFCC before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on Wednesday, October 8, 2025. The EFCC charged her with eight counts bordering on money laundering, conversion, transfer, and possession of funds suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities to the tune of over ₦1 billion. The Commission also detailed the charges against the APC Chieftain to include the conversion of ₦321.6 million paid into the account of Adin Miles International Limited and the procurement of $2 million into naira for the same company.
These are just a few of the Chieftains of the ruling party, All Progressives Congress, APC, being prosecuted for alleged corruption by the Olukoyede – led EFCC. These chronicles exposes the mischief by critics who claim that the Commission is only after opposition politicians.
While facing the Senate in the course of his confirmation in October 2023, Olukoyede stated without mincing words that he has three main agenda to pursue if confirmed as the Executive Chairman of the Commission. They are: to stimulate the economy, to work within the ambit of the law and to ensure professionalism as the hall mark of his leadership. He has not deviated. In less than three years, Ola Olukoyede has not only kept faith with his promise but has surpassed the set agenda. Evidence abounds in the number of convictions and volume of recoveries; only the deaf and dumb would fail to acknowledge the transformation impact of Olukoyede in the EFCC.
*Anthony Ojelimafe is an Abuja based public affairs analyst*
