EFCC Engages Media, CSOs… Advocates Training Of Judges On Financial Crimes

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has called for continuous training of judges on the emerging trends in financial crimes.

The Head of Legal and Prosecution Department, Ibadan Directorate of the Commission, DCE Gift Odibo made the call at a one day capacity building workshop for Media and Civil Society Organisations in Ibadan.

In her presentation, DCE Odibo explained that some judges in the country were not familiar with the emerging trends in financial crimes which often affects the prosecution of such crimes by the EFCC.

She also stressed the need for legal reforms to update laws to address modern financial crimes, improve witness protection and support, as well as, establishment of specialized courts for financial crimes and corruption cases.

While presenting a paper on “Understanding Cryptocurrency fraud and other emerging financial crimes, the Commission’s Head of Digital Forensics, Lagos, CSE Alex Ogbole advocated a law to regulate the operations of cryptocurrency in Nigeria.

In his remarks, the EFCC’s spokesperson and Head of Media and Publicity, DCE Dele Oyewale said under the leadership of its chairman, Mr Ola Olukoyede, the commission has continued to record huge success in the fight against financial crimes and corruption.

DCE Oyewale hinted that the commission recovered 369 billion naira last year, adding that the funds that was used to kick start the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, was from the recoveries of the commission.

The EFCC’s spokesperson also noted that in the two years administration of Mr Olukoyede, 5 former State Governors and 5 ex-ministers were arraigned by the commission and trials were ongoing, which was a clear indication that EFCC was not doing selective prosecutions.

Hinting that the tenure of Mr Olukoyede will officially clock 2 years on Saturday (18th October, 2025), DCE Oyewale said it has been two years of impressive performance, noting that in the first year, 4,111 convictions were made with several recoveries.

Earlier in an address of welcome, the Acting Zonal Director, Ibadan Directorate of the Commission, ACE 1 Hauwa Ringim, who represented Mr Ola Olukoyede, said the workshop was organised to deepen engagement between the EFCC and crucial partners like the Media and Civil Society Organisations, in order for the commission to fulfill its mandate of ridding Nigeria of economic and finance crimes.

“It is a well-established fact that corruption remains one of the most profound challenges confronting our nation. It undermines public trust, weakens institutions, distorts economic growth, and perpetuates inequality and injustice.”

“This workshop, therefore, is both timely and strategic, as it seeks to deepen engagement between the EFCC and its critical partners the CSOs and the Media, in order to foster greater synergy and ensure that our collective interventions are impactful and aligned with the Commission’s mandate of ridding Nigeria of economic and financial crimes.”

“At the EFCC, we firmly believe that through sustained collaboration, capacity building, and transparent communication with key stakeholders, including the CSOs, the Media, and sister law enforcement agencies, we can achieve greater impact in combating economic sabotage and financial malfeasance.”