The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested 10 of its officers in the Lagos Zonal Command for allegedly failing to account for missing operational items.
The commission said in a statement Wednesday that its chairman, Ola Olukoyede, directed the arrest of the officers following an internal investigation.
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“The officers, who were arrested last week on the directives of the Executive Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede are answering questions related to the theft of some operational items that they could not account for,” the statement said.
The agency also noted that the move was part of efforts to rid the commission of all corruption tendencies.
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The arrest and detention of the officers are the latest in what appears to be sweeping, self-cleansing efforts of the EFCC under Mr Olukoyede’sleadership.
Recently, on 6 January, the commission announced the dismissal of 27 officials, just like the announcement by Mr Olukoyede last November of the dismissal of two corrupt officials of the commission.
But EFCC’s commitment to openness and transparency has been called to question, with its practice of concealing vital information regarding staff disciplinary matters and other cases of public interest.
The public has criticised the agency for its failure to disclose the identities of its officers recently dismissed over fraud and misconduct.
This attitude of the commission falls short of the standard set by the National Judicial Council (NJC) which customarily discloses the outcomes of its disciplinary processes including the details of the affected judges found culpable of one act of misconduct or the other.
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EFCC’s tendency to deny the public access to vital information extends beyond disciplinary matters.
Late last year, the agency concealed the owner of a vast estate in Abuja measuring 150,500 square metres with 753 units of duplexes forfeited to the federal government. This garnered widespread criticism from Nigerians, but the EFCC has continued to defend its stance on the matter.
EFCC said in Wednesday’s statement that investigators were making progress and that officials found guilty of stealing operational items would face disciplinary actions.
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