President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for its efforts in tackling economic and financial crimes and other forms of corruption, saying the agency has justified the confidence reposed in it.
Tinubu gave the commendation on Friday, October 2, 2026, in Awka, Anambra State, during the commissioning of a new Zonal Directorate of the EFCC.
Represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, the President said the commission’s achievements in securing convictions and recovering assets provided evidence of its progress in the fight against corruption.
He said, “Supporting the EFCC is not particularly difficult. The agency has consistently demonstrated that the confidence reposed on it is well founded. Without mincing words, the evidential proof of the EFCC’s success speaks loudly in convictions secured, assets and properties recovered.”
Tinubu said the EFCC’s activities aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration, particularly its focus on economic reform and good governance.
“When we came in three years ago, I highlighted nine major focal areas of my administration. Two of which are reforming the economy for sustained and inclusive growth and promotion of good governance,” he said.
“The anti-graft agency complements this agenda as they are focused on accountability and transparency and appropriate deployment of resources.”
Speaking at the event, EFCC Executive Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to preventing economic and financial crimes, stressing that the agency would focus on blocking avenues through which corrupt practices could occur.
Olukoyede said the newly commissioned directorate would combine law enforcement with preventive measures by engaging institutions and communities across the zone.
“This new Directorate will not only enforce the law professionally and courageously, it will be high on corruption prevention. It will engage government institutions, businesses, financial institutions, professional bodies, schools, markets, civil society organisations, traditional institutions, religious bodies and communities,” he said.
“It will educate stakeholders, build relationships and mobilise the people to own the fight against all forms of corrupt practices in the zone.”
The EFCC chairman said the commission had made significant progress in the pursuit of its mandate over the past 34 months.
According to him, between October 2023 and July 2026, the commission received 49,673 petitions, investigated 39,615 cases, filed 14,476 cases in court and secured 10,872 convictions.
He said the figures represented a conviction-to-filing ratio of 75.1 per cent, adding that the commission recorded 1,370 convictions from 1,889 filings in the first half of 2026.
Olukoyede also disclosed that the commission recorded recoveries of N1,233,612,040,411, $684,478,457.32, £373,905.78 and €9,343,803.66, in addition to recoveries in other currencies.
He further highlighted institutional reforms introduced by the commission, including new guidelines on arrest and bail, a review of sting operations, and the establishment of the Department of Fraud Risk Assessment and Control, Security Department, Immigration and Visa Section and Cybercrime Rapid Response Centre.
He said the reforms had strengthened the commission’s processes and procedures and contributed to improvements in its law-enforcement operations.