The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has revealed that the agency is currently investigating 18 incumbent governors across Nigeria for alleged financial crimes.
Mr. Olukoyede made this disclosure on Friday, July 18, during a sensitisation programme organised by the commission in Lagos State. He clarified that although the governors are still in office, the EFCC is actively gathering intelligence and building cases against them.
He explained that while some investigations are discreetly carried out during the officials’ tenure, the commission often intensifies action once such public office holders vacate their positions.
“In fact, as I speak, we have ongoing investigations concerning about 18 sitting governors,” the EFCC Chairman confirmed.
“We do not necessarily wait for their tenure to end before we start investigations. However, once they are out of office, we escalate our efforts to ensure accountability,” he added.
During the interactive session of the programme, Mr. Olukoyede shared a striking anecdote that illustrates the lengths to which some former governors go to evade justice after leaving office.
He narrated an incident involving a former Nigerian governor who, after completing his tenure, immediately travelled to the United Kingdom in a bid to avoid EFCC’s arrest. Coincidentally, his birthday fell during that period, and he decided to celebrate with a lavish party at a hotel in England.
At the party, the former governor was reported to have been extravagantly spraying British Pound Sterling notes, tossing £50 and £10 bills into the air in a flamboyant display of wealth. This bizarre act drew the attention of the hotel staff, who were alarmed by the scene.
The hotel manager, having never witnessed such conduct, suspected the man was mentally unstable. Concerned about the guest’s behaviour, the manager called the emergency services for intervention.
When officers from the Metropolitan Police arrived at the hotel, they considered placing the former governor under medical observation, believing him to be mentally unwell. They even contemplated conveying him in an ambulance.
However, the situation was quickly clarified when the former governor’s friends, including two serving Nigerian governors who had travelled to London to attend the birthday celebration, intervened.
They explained to the authorities that the former governor was not suffering from any mental health condition but was simply engaging in what was, to them, a cultural display of affluence.
Mr. Olukoyede used the story to underscore the challenges faced by anti-graft agencies in tracking and apprehending public officials who engage in corrupt practices while in office.
He reiterated the EFCC’s commitment to pursuing investigations diligently and ensuring that those who abuse public trust are held accountable, regardless of their status or influence.
This revelation from the EFCC Chairman further highlights the persistent efforts of the commission to combat corruption at the highest levels of government and sends a strong signal that no one is above the law.