By Adedapo Adesanya

President Bola Tinubu has lauded the achievements of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under the leadership of Mr Ola Olukoyede for achieving new heights in asset recovery and convictions.

Speaking at the 7th EFCC-NJI Capacity Building Workshop for Justices and Judges, on Monday, October 20, 2025, at the National Judicial Institute, Abuja, the President, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, stated that, “As an administration we have prioritized public accountability by strengthening the anti-corruption agencies and accorded them the needed independence to execute their statutory mandates. This enabling environment is evident in the impact that has been made in the last two years.

“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 Five Hundred Billion Naira. 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.”

Mr Tinubu at the event themed Enhancing Justice in the Fight against Economic and Financial Crimes called on judges and justices to give their utmost in the fight against corruption, noting that the judiciary was critical to a successful anti-crime fight.

He noted that corruption can be rooted out in the country if citizens choose to do what is right and those who deviate are punished accordingly.

“We have an opportunity to consolidate the efforts of the last two years to deliver an optimal anti-corruption framework that will support our peaceful growth and development.

“A Nigeria free of corruption is possible, if we all commit to doing what is right in our respective spheres of influence and ensuring that those who deviate from the norm are not allowed to go scot-free. A robust judicial system is central to the success of anti corruption efforts and I count on our judges.

“We have allowed both the judiciary and the anti-graft agencies to exercise their constitutional and statutory powers to dispense justice and restore sanity.

“The evidence is before your eyes. We cannot claim to have excelled in our pursuit of a transparent system if we do not live by such examples. Courts and judges are strong pillars of the anti-corruption process.

“Except the society has full confidence that those who pillage our resources will be subjected to the rule of law and brought to justice through a fair and transparent process of adjudication, the sneers over our collective commitment to fighting corruption will only get louder.

“This point should resonate with your lordships. Your vantage position on the bench does not insulate you from the consequences of corruption.

“There are no special roads, hospitals or communities for judges. We all shop in the same markets and face the same risk of insecurity which is a culmination of decades of willful theft and wastage of the nation’s resources by corrupt public officials.

“I believe that it is in the interest of all Nigerians, members of the executive, the legislature and the judiciary to join hands in this important task of fighting and winning the war against corruption in Nigeria,” he said.

On his part, Mr Olukoyede in his opening remarks, noted that though he had always been conscious of the enormous role of the judiciary in enforcing the rule of law and accountability in the course of his work in fraud management and regulatory compliance, the last two years of superintending the affairs of the EFCC have further brought the importance of the judiciary as the cornerstone in the fight against corruption into sharper focus.

He regretted the long-winding courtroom procedures that encumber the Commission’s progress in high profile corruption cases.

“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.

“The seeming convoluted trajectory of many cases involving politically exposed persons evoke gasps of exasperation, incredulity and sometimes disdain by the people. Without mentioning specific cases and courts, there are cases filed by the Commission 15 or 20 years ago that appear in limbo, moving in circles.

“We appeared to have grown accustomed to a predictable pattern in high profile prosecutions: When investigations are concluded, getting PEPS to appear in court to answer to charges is a herculean task itself.

“When that hurdle is overcome, and the charge is read, other antics unfurl. It is either the charges are not properly served, or the defendant who hitherto was fit as fiddle suddenly comes down with some of the most chronic ailments under the sun. A medical report is brandished and technical adjournment procured.

“At other times, defendants recant on the statements they voluntarily made. A trial-within-trial is ordered. If that fails, a no case submission is the ultimate card of rigmarole, and the trial is on a roller coaster, that may stretch until God knows when! The power of the Commission to file a charge is challenged or the neutrality of the trial judge queried.

All of these amount to weaponization of procedures.

“Prioritization of procedural technicalities at the expense of justice undermines public confidence in the fight against corruption and financial crimes.

“This calls for greater circumspection by Your Lordships in making pronouncements and decisions with dramatic implication for the fight against corruption. When cases drag in court, many things happen. Witness fatigue sets in, memories fade and those who had testified may struggle to recall their earlier testimonies. In extreme circumstances, the witness or the prosecutor may have died, or moved on and no longer available to testify. The defendants too grow old and frail, eliciting compassion that was not there in the beginning.

“The longer cases last in court, the more the chance that they slip off popular consciousness, and the image of the court as the temple of justice is eroded. The only victor in the circumstance is corruption.

“My lords, while the Nigerian Judiciary is blessed with competent and courageous judges and justices, the actions and decisions by a few are sources of worry to agencies such as the EFCC,” he said.

Speaking further, the EFCC boss stated that . “For instance, 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.

“More worrisome is the fact that most of those decisions are made ex-parte. Even where the Commission appeals, there are no restraints in making contempt decisions against it.

“In addition, contradictory decisions by courts of coordinate jurisdiction in high profile corruption cases encumbers the work of the Commission. There is also the case when senior lawyers are allowed to stall the arraignment of corruption suspects through frivolous applications.

“These antics leave the society with suspicion that the courts and the prosecution are not keen about justice. This feeds into the theme of the workshop: Enhancing Justice in the Fight Against Economic and Financial Crimes.

“It is a clarion call to interrogate the absurdities obstructing the flow of the wheel of justice, especially in cases of corruption and other forms of economic crime.”