The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Olanipekun Olukoyede, has disclosed that he turned down gifts amounting to nearly N500 million from various high-ranking officials during his mother’s burial in 2019. The revelation was made during the 38th Anti-Corruption Situation Room in Abuja, an event focused on ethics, integrity, and corruption risk assessments at both national and sub-national levels.
Speaking at the gathering, which was organized by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda Resource Centre, Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and EFCC with the support of the MacArthur Foundation, Olukoyede recounted the experience, emphasizing the importance of ethical conduct in public service. At the time, he was serving as the Secretary of the EFCC.
Detailing the events surrounding his mother’s funeral in Ekiti State, he narrated how he returned home to find his compound filled with gifts, including 17 cows and a carton packed with numerous cheques and bank drafts sent by ministers, permanent secretaries, directors, and other influential individuals. Upon realizing the value of the cheques, which totaled almost N500 million, he made the conscious decision to return them.
“When I got home, my gateman presented a box to me, and inside it, I saw so many cheques and drafts from ministers, permanent secretaries, directors, and agency heads,” Olukoyede revealed. “By the time we put all the cheques together, they counted close to N500 million.”
Reflecting on the incident, he explained that had he accepted and deposited the cheques, they could have been used against him, particularly when he later came under investigation. He noted that some of the individuals who sent the cheques were under EFCC scrutiny at the time, which would have raised serious ethical and legal concerns.
“I did the burial in September 2019. By July 2020, I was under investigation. If those cheques had been paid into my account, would it have been a good defense to say they were traditional burial gifts? When people were looking for ways to bring me down, such deposits could have easily been misinterpreted,” he said.
Olukoyede also recounted another incident where he rejected applications from close relatives who sought to participate in a government auction of forfeited assets while he was EFCC Secretary. Despite personal connections, he insisted on maintaining the integrity of the process, refusing to grant them any undue advantage.
“My brother-in-law, an international auctioneer, applied to be part of the auction. I saw his application and shredded it. He did not speak to me for six months because of that,” he stated. “Similarly, my elder brother wanted to buy a truck at the auction. I told him that no staff of EFCC or their family members were allowed to participate. He tried to convince me otherwise, but I refused.”
He added that his decision to uphold ethical standards proved critical when a panel was later set up to investigate the auction process. Had his relatives’ names been linked to the transactions, it could have led to serious legal consequences, including possible imprisonment.
Olukoyede’s revelations come amid renewed calls for transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s fight against corruption. His statements underscore the need for public officials to maintain integrity, especially in positions of power where ethical lapses can have far-reaching implications.
