EFCC boss says 18 sitting governors in Nigeria are currently under investigation for corruption.
He warns that probes continue after office and shares story of a fleeing ex-governor.
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has said that the agency is currently investigating 18 governors who are still in office across Nigeria.
Olukoyede made this known on Friday during a public awareness program in Lagos aimed at discouraging the abuse and defacing of the naira. He explained that although these governors are still in office and enjoy constitutional immunity, the EFCC is monitoring their activities and preparing to take further action once they leave office.
He emphasized that the commission does not always wait for public officials to complete their tenure before launching investigations. Recalling a past case, Olukoyede narrated how a former governor who had been under investigation fled to the United Kingdom immediately after leaving office to evade arrest.
“While serving, we were already investigating him,” Olukoyede said. “The very next day after his tenure ended, he escaped to England. Coincidentally, it was also the week of his birthday. He threw a party in a hotel and began spraying £50 and £10 notes during the celebration.”
According to Olukoyede, the hotel manager was shocked by the scene and called the police, suspecting the ex-governor was mentally unstable. The Metropolitan Police responded and nearly placed the former governor in an ambulance. However, his associates, including two Nigerian governors who had traveled to celebrate with him, stepped in to explain the situation and prevent the arrest.
Olukoyede’s comments highlight the EFCC’s ongoing efforts to hold public officeholders accountable and its readiness to follow through on corruption cases, even after the officials have left power.
