A coalition of 30 anti-corruption civil society organizations has demanded the resignation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, accusing him of failing to prosecute former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje despite numerous petitions over multi-billion naira fraud and bribery charges.
The group, operating under the “Global Initiative for Corruption Eradication” (GICE), also called for Ganduje’s immediate arrest, asserting that he had no immunity and was allegedly being protected by the federal government through the EFCC.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, GICE spokesperson Comrade Anthony Onoja said, “The N50 billion diverted local government area funds, the dollar video scandal, and the N1 billion probe seem to have been ignored. Over 2,200 days have passed since the dollar video scandal broke, and yet the EFCC remains silent.”
The organizations urged Nigerians and international bodies to pressure the EFCC into action, demanding that Ganduje be arrested and prosecuted without further delay.
Onoja emphasized, “If the EFCC fails to arrest and prosecute Ganduje according to Nigerian laws, the chairman must resign.”
The activists criticized the EFCC’s continued silence despite numerous petitions, substantial evidence, and public demands for action against Ganduje. They also expressed concern that the EFCC’s inaction undermines its credibility and reinforces the perception that it has become a political tool used to target government opponents.
“The EFCC has abandoned its core mandate and has become a conduit for misappropriation and political persecution,” said Onoja. “Its selective prosecution of corrupt officials has deepened public distrust, with some of the most corrupt figures walking free while others are persecuted for political reasons.”
The group pointed to Ganduje’s ongoing evasion of court proceedings. They recalled that a Kano High Court was set to arraign Ganduje and his wife on bribery and fund misappropriation charges in April 2024, but both failed to appear. Multiple adjournments followed, but Ganduje and his legal team continued to defy court orders, with no representation at all.
“Despite the repeated adjournments and the judge’s decision to allow the case to proceed in absentia, Ganduje has yet to be brought to justice,” the CSOs noted.
The groups also criticized the EFCC for its perceived drift from its original anti-corruption mandate, established during the Obasanjo administration, and suggested that disbanding the agency might be the only way to restore its legitimacy.
They concluded, “If the EFCC is disbanded due to its constitutional illegality, as argued by states in the ongoing case against it at the Supreme Court, it might be able to perform its true function of eradicating corruption once its legal foundation is properly enacted.”