By Dele Oyewale
Steve Osuji's recent piece, “EFCC’s Alarming Impunity”, and his trumped-up charges against the Commission and its Executive Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, leave much to be desired. Reading through the poorly researched article by a former editor reveals a laboured attempt to assemble a tissue of lies, which falls flat against the backdrop of verifiable facts and the EFCC’s unwavering efforts in fighting corruption.
The former editor's first salvo was fired at both past and present leadership of the EFCC, but most disturbing was his attack on Mr. Olukoyede without justification. Allegations of a lack of transparency, accountability, and integrity are not only wild but completely off the mark. Despite the string of unwarranted abuses Osuji wove together, none specifically identified any breach of integrity by the EFCC boss.
In one breath, he sneered:
“Coming from the campus of former Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo; being a senior pastor of the Redeemed Church of Nigeria, and being a lawyer exposed and groomed in some of the best institutions, we thought we couldn't find a better specimen of human on earth. But woe alas, even the venerable gentleman chairman has fallen far short.”
The question is: in what way has Olukoyede fallen short? By insisting that due process be followed? By radically advancing the nation’s anti-graft war? By introducing a preventive framework yielding tangible results? By recovering the globally acclaimed 753 duplexes and other assets for the nation? By placing the EFCC on the global map of accomplished anti-graft agencies? By processing over 50,000 case files in one year? Or by courageously initiating internal reforms?
It is cowardly and uncharitable for any columnist to hide behind vague claims to smear Olukoyede, arguably one of the world’s finest anti-graft czars.
Osuji’s diatribe is particularly pathetic considering that just months ago, Mr. Olukoyede received commendations from two of the world’s top law enforcement leaders—former FBI Director Christopher Wray and Director General of the UK’s National Crime Agency, Graeme Biggar—who visited him in Abuja to acknowledge his inspirational leadership and seek closer cooperation with the EFCC.
Ironically, Osuji devotes 50 per cent of his essay to rummaging through Sonala Olumhense’s archives of acerbic commentaries on the EFCC. His reliance on Olumhense is not born out of reverence for his analyses but out of convenience—Olumhense’s cynicism fits Osuji’s narrative. It is well known that Olumhense is an incurable sceptic who misrepresents the Commission’s statutory obligation to submit annual reports to the National Assembly, despite evidence to the contrary.
Contrary to their claims, the EFCC has never failed to submit its Annual Report to the National Assembly every September, as required by law. This is verifiable. The National Assembly is neither in Sambisa Forest nor Iceland—it is accessible, and its records are public. Osuji knows this truth but chose to amplify Olumhense’s falsehoods to serve a particular agenda.
Equally preposterous are claims that EFCC officers are “re-looting” recovered assets. For clarification, the Commission does not retain recovered monetary assets. All non-monetary assets are disposed of based on court orders, with proceeds deposited into the Confiscated and Forfeited Properties Account at the Central Bank, by the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act, 2022.
As a journalist with over three decades of experience, Osuji ought to have investigated the proper government agencies before making spurious claims on behalf of a “citizen” or “client.”
It is common knowledge that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a show of transparency and accountability, directed the EFCC last year to release N100 billion from its Recovery Account to NELFUND and CREDICORP. These agencies are now alive and impacting lives because of EFCC’s recoveries.
Mr. Olukoyede has consistently maintained that, under his leadership, every kobo recovered would be accounted for and monitored to prevent re-looting. Only recently, he visited Bayelsa State to commission an EFCC Area Office and Skill Acquisition Centre—projects funded with recovered proceeds designated for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). He also visited the former NOK University in Kaduna—recovered from a corrupt official—which has now been converted into a Federal University of Applied Sciences. He personally oversees such assets.
The EFCC does not operate in secrecy. Its activities, including public auctions, are transparently conducted. To portray the Commission as fraudulent is both mischievous and baseless.
Stripped of all pretence, Osuji’s “naked dance” is about House No. 6, Aso Drive, Asokoro—and his sabre-rattling is clearly at the behest of Ikechi Emenike, a former tenant who believes he alone is entitled to acquire the forfeited property.
Osuji accuses the EFCC of “impunity and outright pilfering” of a property it lawfully acquired. In a press statement on June 25, 2025, the Commission clarified that Justice Musa Liman of the Federal High Court granted an order of possession on March 27, 2025, affirming that the property linked to former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke—was a proceeds of crime.
The EFCC neither suppressed nor misrepresented facts in securing the court’s ex parte order to evict Emenike, who was merely a tenant. The contempt proceedings referenced in another court are entirely unrelated to the valid possession order.
Dele Oyewale
Head, Media & Publicity and Spokesperson, EFCC
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