EFCC Officer Absconds with $30,000 as Anti-Graft Agency Faces Mounting Internal Scandals

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is embroiled in another controversy as an officer in charge of the Kaduna Zonal Office’s exhibit room has allegedly absconded with over $30,000 and other valuable exhibits. This comes amidst criticism of the commission for its continued disregard of its own directive banning night raids, which have led to recent tragic outcomes.

In the latest scandal, a staff member identified only as Polycarp reportedly disappeared after being instructed to account for exhibits during an audit ordered by the zonal director, Benedict Ubi.

According to reports, Polycarp excused himself under the pretense of easing himself and fled, switching off all his phone lines. Preliminary audits suggest that more discrepancies may be uncovered as investigations progress.

This incident followed another internal heist in January, when 10 EFCC officers in Lagos were detained for allegedly stealing operational items. While the commission refrained from disclosing specifics, sources revealed to Daily Nigerian, that the stolen items included gold bars worth over ₦1 billion, $180,000, and £140,000.

The EFCC’s track record of internal corruption is not new. Report by Daily Nigerian detailed how, in 2019, an officer confessed to taking a $20,000 bribe at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos. Despite admitting to the crime, he was reinstated by the then-acting chairman Ibrahim Magu, and the incident was kept from public knowledge.

Similarly, in 2021, another officer was dismissed after a leaked audio revealed him advising suspects on how to unfreeze their accounts and avoid prosecution. The EFCC spokesman at the time, Wilson Uwujaren, described the officer as “a corrupt fifth columnist” who had violated the agency’s standard procedures.

In an apparent effort to address misconduct, the EFCC announced the dismissal of 27 officers on January 6, citing various fraudulent activities and misconduct.

However, sources clarified that this figure represented all dismissals for fraud since the agency’s inception in 2003, not a recent crackdown as portrayed.

Recently the EFCC condemned an attack that led to the death of one of its personnel. The continued night operations, however, raise questions about adherence to internal protocols and the safety of operatives deployed during high-risk assignments.

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Oluwasegun Sanusi

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