The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has recovered over N200 billion and secured about 3,000 convictions within the past year, according to the agency’s spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren. The achievements were made under the leadership of Chairman Ola Olukoyede, who was appointed by President Bola Tinubu in October 2023.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Uwujaren highlighted the agency’s efforts, stating, “In terms of naira recovery, we have recovered over N200 billion in one year of Ola Olukoyede’s administration. That is not to talk about the dollar and euro components of the recoveries.” He also noted the significant number of convictions, saying, “We have over 3,000 convictions in one year of his administration. That, for us, is interesting.”
Despite these milestones, Uwujaren emphasized that the EFCC’s primary focus remains on crime prevention rather than convictions. He pointed out that 70 percent of the convictions involved cybercrime, particularly among young people, and explained that the commission has been working on sensitizing youth about the dangers of fraud.
“The style of this leadership of the EFCC is that there is a major emphasis on the prevention of corruption,” Uwujaren said. He also identified public sector corruption, especially in procurement and contract processes, as a major concern. “Once you are able to prevent procurement fraud before they happen, we would be able to save a lot of resources for this country,” he added.
