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Tinubu Violated EFCC Extant Laws Appointing Olukoyede As Chairman, Group Alleges

Published

2 years ago

October 15, 2023

A Civil Society Group, Center for Democracy and Human Rights, CEDEHUR, weekend, accused President Bola Tinubu, for alleged gross violation of Extant Laws of the Economic and Financial Commission, EFCC, by appointing Mr Ola Olukoyede as Chairman of the Commission on Thursday last week.

The National Secretary, CEDEHUR, Adebayo Ogorry, pointed out that Tinubu allegedly failed to understand that the EFCC Extant laws remain sacrosanct and needed to be strictly adhered to before going ahead to appoint Olukoyede chairman for the Commission.

According Ogorry, Tinubu needs to comply with the EFCC Extant Laws and immediately cancel the appointment of Olukoyede as EFCC’s Chairman, if not he stands to set a wrong precedence for successive administrations, and warned that his action will slip into anarchy.

It will be recalled that on Thursday last week, President Bola Tinubu appointed Mr. Ola Olukoyede to serve as the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission pending Senate confirmation.

He said: “Who qualifies to be the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission?

“To answer this poser, recourse will be made to the highlighted extant provision of the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004: (1) The Commission shall consist of the following members-(a)A chairman, who shall-(i)be the Chief Executive and Accounting officer of the Commission(ii) be a serving or retired member of any government security or law enforcement agency not below the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police or equivalent; and(iii) Possess not less than 15 years cognate experience

“The provision is very clear and unambiguous. The functions of the EFCC are not civil in nature. Hence it is a paramilitary organization. That is the rationale behind the inclusion of the police ranking system and its equivalent in other law enforcement agencies as one of the prerequisites for attaining the position of the Executive Chairman.

“Secondly, the person sought to be appointed must not only be a member of the law enforcement family, he must also have 15 years cognate experience. In other words, the person must have the knowledge, skills and abilities in the professional law enforcement activity.

“This section simply means that not all members of the police force, other Forces and indeed the EFCC can be the EC of the EFCC. A pilot, medical personnel, Admin officer, etc who have 15 years police or paramilitary service, are ordinarily devoid of the cognate experience of enforcing the laws of the EFCC.

“This much is gleaned from Section 8 (5) of the EFCC Act which states that: …..all officers involved in the enforcement of the Act shall have the same powers, authorities, privileges (including power to bear arms) as are given by law to members of the Nigerian Police.

“The words that are underlined simply mean that not all officers or members are involved in the enforcement of the EFCC Act. This is not strange as the EFCC started as a new agency lacking in manpower across the board.

“Therefore, there was a massive recruitment and secondment of personnel of staff from sister agencies to boost the personnel capacity of the EFCC. In other words, there were different entry points. However, the EFCC in its wisdom consciously differentiated all the staff.

“To further buttress this point, the EFCC simply identified the officers who are beneficiaries of Section 8 (5) of the EFCC Act and issued them with a warrant card. Evidently, the officers who do not possess a warrant card are not regarded as equivalent to police officers as envisioned by the EFCC Establishment Act.

“To put it in context, there are various members of the law enforcement agencies and Military
organisations that are civilians and cannot take on the headship. Examples of these abound in the Nigerian Army and Nigerian Police Force. A person who serves in the EFCC as Chief of Staff (personal staff of the Chairman) or secretary has no law enforcement training as envisioned by the EFCC Act. Just like, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) may consider appointing a non-Police personnel in his office to carry out certain work.

“That does not make the civilian a member of the Police Force in the context of appointment to the headship. Also, a civilian Police pay officer who works with the Police does not become a member of the Police force in the context of appointment as IGP.

“Any appointment that is contrary to the provisions of the Extant EFCC Establishment Act is an assault on the National Assembly which is the constitutional organ responsible for making laws.

“If the Executive is uncomfortable with a provision, the appropriate action will be to beckon on the National Assembly to amend or repeal such provisions. To let such infractions slide is a call to anarchy.”

Meanwhile, the group also alleged that the nominee, Olukoyede is not a personnel that rose through the ranks that make him deserve the proposed appointment based on his track record of service on his entry and positions held before his nomination by President Bola Tinubu to be the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The CSO asserted that, “He (Olukoyede) was appointed as Chief of staff to the erstwhile Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, and he served in that capacity from 2016 to 2018.

‘He was later appointed the Commission Secretary and he served in that capacity from 2018 to 2019 before he was suspended from Office, and we gathered that same indicted both principal officers were never re-absorbed back to the Commission.

“Dramatically, Olukoyede has been appointed as the new Executive Chairman of EFCC, and we also gathered he was recently invited by the EFCC, and sudden.

“We have been reliably informed that his offences has been written off, while his salaries and benefits suspended will be all paid while he was on suspension.

“In fact, we are all aware of Olukoyede spending eight years at the Commissio between 2016 to 2023.

“We also queried that how did he manufactured additional 15 cognate years experience as contained in as required by law to as contained in Section 2 (1)(iii) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Establishment Act, 2004?”, Ogorry queried.

News

Chief Of Army Staff, Shaibu Announces Recruitment Of 24,000 Soldiers

Published

1 hour ago

November 19, 2025

Editor

The Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has announced plans to recruit and train 24,000 soldiers to boost the operational strength of the Nigerian Army amid rising security challenges.

This was made known in a post on X Wednesday by Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency security expert.

According to the report, Shaibu revealed the plan on Wednesday during an operational visit to the 1 Division of the Nigerian Army in Kaduna, where he addressed officers ranging from second lieutenants to lieutenant colonels.

He said the initiative is part of the Army’s strategy to enhance its readiness and expand manpower for deployments across the country.

According to him, three new training facilities approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will train 12,000 soldiers within six months, with the capacity to double the figure to 24,000 if two streams are run simultaneously.

Shaibu noted that the facilities are strategically located to produce recruits equipped with modern warfare skills, tactical knowledge, and improved weapon handling.

He said the focus is not only on increasing troop numbers but also on ensuring high-quality training.

He added that the recruits will be trained in basic tactics, combat operations, and leadership principles to strengthen the Army’s professional standards.

The COAS reiterated the Army’s commitment to the “Soldier First” concept, promising improved welfare and support systems for both new and existing personnel. He urged senior officers to mentor incoming recruits to sustain discipline, core values, and operational excellence.

The recruitment drive is expected to significantly boost manpower, strengthen troop deployment in critical areas, and enhance the Army’s capacity to respond to threats nationwide.

During his visit, Shaibu also held discussions with officers on operational logistics, welfare initiatives, and ongoing efforts to improve the Army’s capabilities in the North West and other theatres of operation.

News

Kwara Church Attack: ‘Resign Now’, Falz Tells Tinubu

Published

2 hours ago

November 19, 2025

Editor

Folarin Falana (FALZ) and President Tinubu
Nigerian rapper and activist, Folarin Falana popularly known as Falz, has taken a swipe at President Bola Tinubu, demanding his resignation following the bandits’ attack of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Oke Isegun, Eruku, in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.

Falz, in a post on his X handle on Wednesday, accused the President of failing in his primary duty of securing the lives and property of Nigerians, describing the alleged government inaction as unacceptable.

Tribune Online reports that the Kwara State Police Command confirmed that the attack occurred around 6 p.m. on November 18. Security operatives and local vigilantes were said to have engaged the attackers and eventually repelled them.

During the assault, the armed gang reportedly invaded the church during a service, killed at least one person, and abducted several worshippers.

Reacting to the incident, Falz expressed frustration, questioning the president on the state of insecurity in the country and asking how many more people must die before meaningful action is taken.

He wrote, “How many more people have to be kidnapped and murdered in cold blood? How many more lives do you want to waste? How many more futures do you wish to erase with your incompetence and inaction?

“You have consistently shown your unwillingness to protect the lives and property of our people despite pretending to care in the past. RESIGN NOW!”

How many more people have to be kidnapped and murdered in cold blood? How many more lives do you want to waste? How many more futures do you wish to erase with your incompetence and inaction? @officialABAT

News

Court Jails Two Men 26 Months For N8.5b Fraud

Published

3 hours ago

November 19, 2025

Editor

LJustice Rahman Oshodi of Lagos Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja has convicted and sentenced two men, Hamza Zakaria and Nurudeen Ibrahim, to 26 months’ imprisonment each for N8.56 billion fraud.

Zakaria and Ibrahim were convicted and sentenced after the court found them guilty of unauthorised access to a new generation bank’s computer systems. They were formerly arraigned on May 2, 2025, alongside other defendants, on four counts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Their offences bordered on conspiracy, stealing and unauthorised access to a computer system, contrary to Sections 409 and 331 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. They had pleaded not guilty at the time.

The defendants, however, changed their plea following the presentation of amended charges, prompting the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.

During the review of the facts, prosecution counsel, Muhammad Bashir, called a witness, Airende Monday, an operative of the EFCC, who tendered documents that were admitted as exhibits.

While delivering judgement, Justice Oshodi stated: “I find the defendants guilty in the two-count amended information, and I convict them accordingly. This is the judgement of the court.”

The court jailed them eight months on count one and one year and six months on count two. Both sentences are to run concurrently, with an option of a N50,000 fine.

The EFCC alleged that the defendants and other persons at large, sometime in January 2025 in Lagos, within the court’s jurisdiction, conspired to transfer and retain criminal proceeds from unauthorised access to Wema Bank’s computer and servers.