Another look at EFCC’s internal cleansing

BY FINEBONE ADEOYE

It is instructive to note that very rarely in the law enforcement space, will a security agency go the length of publicly revealing that it has dismissed some of its staff for various fraudulent activities and financial misdemeanors, except of course to show transparency, integrity, and professionalism. That, apparently, is the signal that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC sent out when recently it revealed through a press release that in the “quest to enforce integrity” it had taken the path of honour to dismiss some of its staff, which its Staff Disciplinary Committee so recommended.

In what was the first of its kind even in the annals of the anti-corruption agency, the EFCC put out the release, in which it made public the dismissal of 27 of its personnel “for various offences bordering on fraudulent activities and misconduct”.

The dismissal, the agency noted, followed the EFCC’s Executive Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede’s ratification of the recommendation of the Commission’s Staff Disciplinary Committee.

The press release quotes in part: “Olukoyede reiterated the commitment of the Commission to zero tolerance for corruption, warning that no officer is immune to disciplinary measures.

“Every modicum of allegation against any staff of the Commission would always be investigated, including a trending $400,000 claim of a yet-to-be-identified supposed staff of the EFCC against a Sectional Head.

“The core values of the Commission are sacrosanct and would always be held in optimal regard at all times.”

Indeed, the EFCC, by this singular action, has shown that it admits that in spite of the corruption that pervades the larger society, its staff must be above board at all times. This recent decisive action to ensure internal cleansing and weeding out of bad eggs within the Commission, is no doubt a follow up on Mr. Olukoyede’s promise on assumption of office, that he would take the issue of integrity seriously. From the outset, he had promised to lead the charge of dealing with the issue of corruption within the agency.

The recent dismissal only reinforces the proactiveness about his mission to get rid of the bad eggs within the Commission. In this regard, he has also ensured a focused restructuring of the agency with the establishment of a new Public Complaints Desk in all Zonal Directorates and the Headquarters of the EFCC to bridge the gap between the Commission and members of the public with grievances. The Desks are manned by specially trained officers and have hotlines through which they can be reached.

It is a notable fact that the openness of admitting that there is an issue for self-cleansing, and the transparent steps being taken to deal with the issue of corruption by the Olukoyede-led agency, cannot be waived aside. Worth noting, is that this openness projects the EFCC as an agency that is far more open than any other law enforcement agency in Nigeria. No other agency has been this transparent in dealing with the issue of corruption within its system. Indeed, Olukoyede deserves commendation for his zeal, commitment, and forthrightness in handling the issues of corruption and financial malfeasance within the agency.

The positives can be seen in the significant recoveries made by the EFCC in recent times, and the renewed collaboration and engagement by international law enforcement agencies. The final forfeiture of an estate in Abuja measuring 150,500 square metres and containing 753 Units of duplexes and other apartments is an attestation to the Commission’s integrity and commitment to professionalism and honesty. It remains the largest recovery by any law enforcement agency in Nigeria, and perhaps, the world.

The EFCC also successfully saw to the return of some of the recovered assets to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) being assets recovered for Canadian victims of Nigerian fraudsters. These included the sum of $180,300 (One Hundred and Eighty Thousand, Three Hundred Dollars) and 53 vehicles, being assets recovered for Canadian victims of Nigerian fraudsters; $164,000 (One Hundred and Sixty-four Thousand US Dollars) cash recovered for one Elena Bogomas and $16,300 (Sixteen Thousand, Three Hundred US Dollar) recovered for Sandra Butler. The recovered 53 vehicles were found to have been stolen over a period of time in Canada, shipped to Nigeria and distributed to different locations in Nigeria by the fraudsters to disguise the source. Certainly, agents of the Commission exhibited a high level of integrity, honesty, and professionalism to effect such jaw-dropping recoveries, among many others.

All these reinforces the need for Nigerians, including the media, to support the current efforts by the Chairman, to cleanse and sanitize the system. Like every other organization, the EFCC is a microcosm of the larger society, and there will always be little foxes but it is gratifying that conscious steps are being taken to prevent them from spoiling the vine. This is what matters; and from all indications, the current leadership of the agency is not leaving any stones unturned.

It is a disservice to the cleansing efforts of the current administration of the anti-corruption agency, for the media in particular, to focus only on a few cases, with the aim of bringing down the reputation of an organization, which foreign law enforcement agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the National Crime Agency (NCA), and the RCMP have acknowledged its professionalism and integrity..

To paint every staff of the organization with the same brush, is indeed, unfair, especially when the agency itself is dealing with the issue frontally. There will always be a few bad eggs, but this certainly does not mean that all officers of the Commission are corrupt.
In all, it is wrong to profile the EFCC, which has for decades been the beacon of the anti-corruption crusade in Nigeria, as a corrupt organization.

Adeoye, a Communications Strategist, writes from Lagos