The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has alleged that some politicians and interest groups are planning coordinated campaigns of calumny aimed at discrediting the commission and its leadership.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, said the alleged campaign is being driven by individuals with vested interests in suspects currently under investigation or facing prosecution by the commission.
According to the EFCC, the plot involves a group of “paid jobbers” drawn from politicians, academics, self-styled civil society activists, and some Nigerian fugitives in the diaspora.
“A motley crowd of paid jobbers comprising politicians, academics, so-called civil society activists and some Nigerian fugitives in the diaspora have been recruited by these disgruntled elements to orchestrate campaigns of calumny,” Oyewale said.
He explained that the campaign is being carried out through sponsored media attacks targeting the Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, and the institution itself, with what he described as phantom allegations of political bias.
According to the commission, the objective of the attacks is to distract and intimidate the EFCC, and to pressure it into avoiding investigations of opposition politicians for fear of being labelled partisan.
Oyewale warned that the campaign is expected to intensify as Nigeria approaches the 2027 general elections, when political activities are likely to heighten.
“The commission wishes to put those recruited into this ignoble enterprise on notice that their activities are under close watch, and EFCC will not tolerate any attempt to distract it from the patriotic task of improving public accountability in Nigeria,” the statement added.
The EFCC reiterated that it remains strictly non-political in the execution of its mandate, stressing that its investigations and prosecutions cut across party lines.
“Facts on the ground clearly show that any political actor belonging to the ruling party or opposition party, with corruption baggage, has no hiding place from the operational radar of the commission,” Oyewale said.
He noted that several prominent members of both the ruling and opposition parties are currently either under investigation or standing trial in court.
The commission also clarified that references to the presumption of innocence of defendants in court proceedings are constitutional requirements and should not be misconstrued as a defence of any individual or group.
Oyewale further stated that the EFCC has no alliance or working relationship with any political party and would not succumb to pressure or blackmail to make public disclosures about politically exposed persons under investigation.
“The EFCC will not be pressured or blackmailed into making public disclosures of politically exposed persons being investigated for alleged corruption,” the statement said.
The commission reaffirmed its commitment to carrying out its duties “without fear or favour,” pledging to remain focused on its mandate of promoting transparency, accountability, and justice in Nigeria.
