The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has disclosed that 18 sitting governors are currently under investigation by the anti-graft agency for various alleged corrupt practices.
Olukoyede made the revelation on Friday during a public sensitisation event on the abuse and mutilation of the Naira in Lagos while declining to name the errant governors
The EFCC boss further assured Nigerians that the agency is diligently building its case files and would take further action once the concerned state governors leave office.
He said, “As I speak to you now, 18 governors currently in office are under investigation. We don’t wait until they leave office before we begin probing. Once their tenures are over, we’ll move to the next level.”
In a striking anecdote meant to highlight the recklessness of some Nigerian leaders, Olukoyede narrated how a former governor, under investigation by the EFCC, fled the country the day after leaving office — only to draw the attention of British police during a lavish birthday party.
He said, “This former governor had been under probe while in office. The very next day after he handed over power, he jetted off to the UK.”
He recounted how the ex-governor threw a flamboyant birthday party in a London hotel, where he was seen spraying £10 and £50 notes in the air, much to the shock of the hotel manager.
Olukoyede said, “The hotel manager was alarmed. He had never witnessed such behaviour — someone throwing pounds like confetti. He called 911, and the Metropolitan Police arrived thinking he was mentally unstable.
He added that the ex-governor was briefly arrested, and efforts were made to place him in an ambulance, until some Nigerian officials — including two sitting governors — intervened and vouched for his sanity.
“His friends and colleagues, including two current governors, had to step in and explain that he wasn’t mad, “ he said.
The EFCC chairman’s revelations come amid rising public demand for transparency and accountability from political officeholders. His statement reinforces the commission’s commitment to pursuing high-profile cases regardless of political status. Olukoyede did not disclose whether the EFCC will publicly name the 18 sitting governors under investigation, but hinted that no sacred cows would be spared in the anti-corruption drive.
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