The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is once again at the heart of a growing controversy, with an internal theft case involving over $30,000 that has sent shockwaves through the agency. A staff member, identified only as Polycarp, who was responsible for managing the exhibit room at the EFCC’s Kaduna Zonal Office, allegedly made off with the funds and other valuable exhibits, triggering a fresh round of scrutiny and embarrassment for the commission.
This latest scandal comes in the wake of another major theft earlier in January when the EFCC detained 10 officers in Lagos for stealing unaccounted-for operational items, including gold bars worth over N1 billion and significant amounts of foreign currency. While the commission did not officially confirm the specifics of the stolen items, reliable sources indicated that the haul included over $180,000 and £140,000.
In Kaduna, Polycarp’s disappearance followed a routine audit ordered by the Zonal Director, Benedict Ubi, in response to the recent thefts within the organization. According to sources close to the investigation, the internal audit was meant to examine the records and items held in the exhibit room. “When Polycarp was informed that the exhibit room would be audited, he suddenly excused himself to use the restroom. But after that, he was nowhere to be found,” a source revealed, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Audit Reveals Missing Money, More to be Uncovered
The preliminary audit of the foreign currency stash in the exhibit room revealed that over $30,000 was unaccounted for. However, investigators believe that this figure may be just the tip of the iceberg. “This is only the initial finding related to foreign currency. We suspect that a more detailed audit could uncover further discrepancies in the exhibit room,” the insider explained.
The EFCC has reportedly launched an intensive manhunt to locate Polycarp, who, according to sources, has been unreachable, with all his phone lines turned off. Efforts to trace his whereabouts have so far yielded no results, heightening concerns about the officer’s knowledge of how to evade detection.
A Pattern of Corruption at EFCC
This isn’t the first time the EFCC has been embroiled in allegations of internal misconduct. In 2019, an EFCC official was caught on tape accepting a bribe of $20,000 from a businessman at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos. Despite his confession, the officer was reinstated by then-acting EFCC Chairman Ibrahim Magu, though the matter was kept largely out of the public eye.
In another case, a leaked audio recording in 2021 exposed an EFCC officer offering to help suspects unfreeze their accounts and drop charges in exchange for bribes. Wilson Uwujaren, the then EFCC spokesman, described the officer as a “corrupt fifth columnist” who had no regard for the commission’s values. “The snippets of the audio recording clearly showed an abysmally compromised officer dropping names to ingratiate his benefactor, a relative of a crime suspect,” Uwujaren had said at the time.
These incidents underscore a worrying trend of corruption within the ranks of the very agency tasked with fighting financial crimes and upholding the law. “This is a serious blow to the integrity of the EFCC,” commented an observer familiar with the agency’s internal workings. “It calls into question whether the commission is truly capable of holding others accountable when it cannot even manage its own officers.”
Mass Sackings in January, But is It Enough?
Earlier this month, the EFCC announced the dismissal of 27 officers, citing fraudulent activities and other misconducts. The commission portrayed the sackings as a recent action; however, credible sources revealed that these dismissals were the culmination of investigations into fraudulent activities spanning the entire history of the agency. Since its formation in 2003, the EFCC has struggled with issues of internal corruption despite its role as Nigeria’s leading anti-corruption agency.
In January alone, the EFCC’s troubles continued, with the commission under intense pressure over the continued revelations of internal fraud. “We have dismissed 27 officers for various forms of misconduct,” said an unnamed source within the agency. “But the question remains—how deep does this corruption run within the agency? And how much of it is truly being addressed?”
However, official statements from the EFCC remain scarce. When contacted for comment on the latest scandal, Dele Oyewale, the EFCC’s spokesman, failed to respond to phone calls and text messages.
A Growing Trust Issue for Nigeria’s Anti-Corruption Agency
The series of internal scandals have only intensified the public’s skepticism about the EFCC’s ability to lead the fight against corruption. For an agency tasked with ridding the nation of financial crime and corruption, the recent spate of theft and misconduct by its own officials is deeply troubling. As Nigeria continues to grapple with pervasive corruption in all sectors, the EFCC’s internal issues raise serious questions about its ability to fulfill its mandate.
One political analyst, who preferred to remain anonymous, said: “The EFCC has long been a symbol of Nigeria’s fight against corruption, but these scandals cast doubt on its credibility. How can the public trust an institution that seems to be as corrupt as the people it is meant to investigate?”
