The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has disclosed that the anti-graft agency is currently investigating 18 serving Nigerian governors for alleged financial misconduct and corruption-related offences.
Olukoyede made the revelation on Friday during a public sensitisation programme in Lagos, which aimed at educating stakeholders, including Bureau de Change operators and Nollywood professionals, on the legal and economic consequences of naira abuse, currency mutilation, and financial crimes.
Despite the constitutional immunity that shields sitting governors from prosecution, Olukoyede stated that the EFCC does not wait for governors to leave office before initiating probes. According to him, preliminary investigations are being conducted discreetly to enable the Commission to swiftly prosecute once immunity expires.
“As I’m speaking, we are investigating about 18 governors who are still serving,” he said. “When they leave office, we will proceed to the next stage.”
Olukoyede recounted a recent incident involving a former Nigerian governor who fled the country to avoid arrest immediately after leaving office, hosting a lavish birthday celebration in a London hotel where he was seen spraying £50 and £10 notes. The incident, which led to hotel staff calling emergency services, underscored how some public officials attempt to evade scrutiny through extravagant lifestyles abroad.
The EFCC Chairman emphasized that the agency would not be deterred by political influence or official privilege, warning that no one is above investigation regardless of rank or office. He disclosed that the EFCC’s surveillance tactics now include collaboration with foreign agencies to track financial flows, assets, and suspicious spending abroad by Nigerian public officeholders.
Olukoyede explained that governors control vast financial resources through state budgets, security votes, and contract awards—areas where corruption frequently occurs. By launching early investigations, the EFCC aims to deter impunity and fast-track prosecution when tenure ends.
Examples of high-profile EFCC cases involving former governors, including Orji Uzor Kalu, Jolly Nyame, Joshua Dariye, and Ayodele Fayose, were cited to illustrate the agency’s commitment to prosecuting corruption in the public sector.
The announcement has generated reactions from civil society groups and anti-corruption watchdogs, including the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), which praised the EFCC for its transparency while urging the publication of the names of the governors under investigation.
The EFCC also used the Lagos event to engage key financial stakeholders, reminding Bureau de Change operators of their obligations under the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act and cautioning Nollywood producers against glamorising financial crimes in films. According to the agency’s Director of Public Affairs, Wilson Uwujaren, public sensitisation is a central pillar of the EFCC’s 2025 anti-corruption agenda.
With the 2027 elections approaching, Olukoyede reiterated the agency’s independence, calling on whistleblowers and financial experts to provide credible tips to help unravel high-level graft in Nigeria’s public sector.
Olukoyede’s disclosure signals the EFCC’s zero-tolerance stance on corruption and serves as a warning to public officeholders that the era of unchecked impunity may be coming to an end.