President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for its achievements in Nigeria’s anti-corruption fight, disclosing that the agency recovered over ₦500 billion and secured more than 7,000 convictions in just two years.
Speaking through Vice President Kashim Shettima at the opening of the 7th EFCC-NJI Capacity Building Workshop for Justices and Judges in Abuja on Monday, Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to empowering anti-graft institutions to deliver tangible results.
According to a statement by EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, Tinubu said the Commission’s recovery and conviction record reflects the success of ongoing reforms to strengthen governance, transparency, and accountability.
“The EFCC, for example, has recorded over 7,000 convictions in the first two years of the present administration and recovered assets in excess of ₦500bn,” he said.
“Recovered proceeds of crime by the agency have been ploughed back into the economy to fund critical social investment programmes, including the Students Loan and Consumer Credit schemes.”
Tinubu noted that Nigeria’s anti-corruption drive can only succeed through synergy among the executive, legislature, and judiciary, stressing that judges play a crucial role in ensuring justice and sustaining public trust.
“A Nigeria free of corruption is possible if we all commit to doing what is right in our respective spheres of influence,” Tinubu said. “A robust judicial system is central to the success of anti-corruption efforts, and I count on our judges.”
He urged public officials across all arms of government to lead by example, warning that the fight against corruption would lose credibility if integrity is compromised.
“We cannot claim to have excelled in our pursuit of a transparent system if we do not live by such examples,” he said. “Courts and judges are strong pillars of the anti-corruption process. Your vantage position on the bench does not insulate you from the consequences of corruption.”
The President added that corruption undermines national development and fuels insecurity, urging Nigerians to unite in confronting it.
“There are no special roads, hospitals, or communities for judges. We all face the same risks that arise from decades of willful theft and wastage of our nation’s resources,” he said. “It is in the interest of all Nigerians to join hands in fighting and winning this war.”
Earlier, EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede raised concerns over the persistent delays and procedural setbacks affecting high-profile corruption cases in Nigerian courts, saying they have cast a shadow over the agency’s progress.
Olukoyede lamented that while the EFCC has made notable achievements, public confidence in the judiciary continues to wane due to the slow pace of politically sensitive trials.
“The milestones we have recorded in the past two years are almost overshadowed by public concern over the progress of high-profile cases in court,” he said. “The seeming convoluted trajectory of many cases involving politically exposed persons evokes gasps of exasperation, incredulity, and sometimes disdain by the people.”
He decried the recurring pattern of defendants exploiting legal loopholes to delay proceedings, describing it as the “weaponisation of procedure” that erodes trust in the justice system.
“When investigations are concluded, getting politically exposed persons to appear in court to answer to charges is a Herculean task,” Olukoyede said. “When that hurdle is overcome and the charge is read, other antics unfurl.”
Olukoyede warned that prolonged trials lead to witness fatigue, faded memories, and, in some cases, the loss of key witnesses or prosecutors.
“Prioritisation of procedural technicalities at the expense of justice undermines public confidence in the fight against corruption and financial crimes,” he said. “The only victor in the circumstance is corruption.”
The EFCC boss also criticised some state high court judges for issuing ex parte orders beyond their jurisdiction, obstructing lawful investigations into money laundering and other financial crimes.
“The Commission is disturbed by the trend in which some judges of state high courts issue orders to apprehend the powers of the Commission to investigate money laundering cases, even though it is clearly established that those matters are outside their purview,” he lamented.
Olukoyede urged judges and senior lawyers to avoid actions that frustrate justice, warning that contradictory judgments and frivolous applications in corruption cases further weaken public trust.
“These antics leave society with the suspicion that the courts and the prosecution are not keen about justice,” he said.
Both Tinubu and Olukoyede called for renewed integrity and cooperation among all stakeholders in Nigeria’s justice system to sustain the momentum in the fight against corruption and restore faith in the rule of law.
