News Investigators/ The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has received 49,673 petitions, investigated 39,615 cases and secured 10,872 convictions between October 2023 and July 2026.
The EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, disclosed this at the inauguration of the commission’s new Zonal Directorate in Awka, Anambra.
Mr Olukoyede said the commission also filed 14,476 cases in court within the period, underscoring the scale of its operations against economic and financial crimes.
He said the establishment of the Awka Zonal Directorate was part of ongoing reforms to decentralise the Commission’s operations, bring its services closer to Nigerians and strengthen its capacity to combat financial crimes.
He said the directorate would cover Anambra and Imo states.
The EFCC chairman said the commission was shifting towards preventive measures by identifying vulnerabilities and strengthening institutional controls before public funds were diverted.
“We are no longer waiting until public resources have been diverted before taking action. We are increasingly adopting a preventive approach to financial crimes,” he said.
According to him, the commission will collaborate with state governments on internally generated revenue, land administration and other areas susceptible to fraud.
He urged Nigerians to develop a “conscious watch” against corruption and provide credible information on fraud, diversion of public resources and other financial crimes to relevant authorities.
President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr Tajudeen Abbas, said the Federal Government remained committed to strengthening the fight against economic and financial crimes.
Tinubu said decentralising EFCC operations in the South-East would extend the commission’s presence and impact across more sectors of society.
He commended the EFCC for its efforts in combating corruption, describing the fight against economic and financial crimes as critical to national development.
He assured the commission of continued Federal Government support to enable it discharge its mandate effectively.
Gov. Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra said the state government would continue to partner with the EFCC to combat economic and financial crimes.
Soludo said the collaboration would cover taxation, revenue generation and training of local government staff and civil servants.
Also, Gov. Hope Uzodimma of Imo, Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum, welcomed the decentralisation of EFCC operations to the South-East.
Uzodimma said the Awka Directorate would ease the burden on residents of the region who previously travelled to Abuja or Lagos for invitations, questioning and other official engagements with the Commission.
He said the development would bring the Commission closer to the people and facilitate its operations in the region.
The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Economic and Financial Crimes, Rep. Ginger Onwusibe, assured Nigerians of the EFCC leadership’s commitment to bringing perpetrators of financial crimes to justice.
The President of the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council, Igwe Chidubem Iweka, expressed concern over the increasing incidence of fraud, popularly known as 419, in the country.
NAN