EFCC dismisses allegations of bias, says anti-corruption drive targets all suspects equally

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has rejected claims by some political actors that it is being used as a tool to persecute opposition politicians, insisting that its operations are strictly guided by law and focused solely on combating economic and financial crimes.

In a statement issued on Monday by Dele Oyewale, its Head of Media and Publicity, the anti-graft agency described recent accusations of “weaponisation,” “politicisation,” and “erosion of independence” as deliberate misrepresentations of its mandate.

According to the EFCC, its powers and actions are rooted in its Establishment Act, which mandates the Commission to investigate and prosecute all forms of economic and financial crimes, irrespective of political affiliation.

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The only individuals exempt from prosecution, it noted, are political office holders enjoying constitutional immunity while in office.

“The Commission’s weapon is its Establishment Act. Suspects of corrupt practices from the ruling party, opposition parties, and non-partisan backgrounds have no immunity and are being equally investigated and prosecuted by the EFCC”, the statement said.

The agency stressed that a review of arrests and prosecutions over the past two years under the current leadership shows that prominent members of the ruling party, including former governors and ministers have faced investigation and prosecution alongside opposition politicians and other individuals.

“The truth about the EFCC is that it is faithful only to its mandate and nothing else,” the statement said, adding that allegations suggesting a pattern of persecution against opposition figures to benefit the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were “untenable.”

Questioning the basis of the accusations, the EFCC argued that requiring suspects to account for alleged acts of corruption does not amount to persecution.

“Is stealing, embezzlement of public funds, contract fraud, money laundering and other corrupt practices excusable for some?” the Commission asked.

“Corruption has no gender, religion, tribe, political party or other extraneous alignment. Selective outrage cannot be a defence against criminal investigation for graft”, it added.

The Commission further warned that attempts to intimidate or blackmail it into abandoning investigations pose a greater threat to democracy than its enforcement of anti-corruption laws.

“What threatens democracy is not the EFCC doing its job, but efforts to coerce it into dropping investigations against alleged corrupt opposition politicians for fear of being accused of selectivity,” the statement said.

The EFCC accused some opposition figures of seeking to use public pressure to secure de facto immunity from prosecution after losing political power, describing such efforts as alien to both the Nigerian Constitution and the Commission’s enabling law.

“This gambit is far from altruistic,” the agency said, noting that the law compels it to act on any credible evidence of graft regardless of the political status or affiliation of those involved.

The Commission reaffirmed that it would not bow to blackmail or conduct inconclusive investigations merely to appear non-selective, cautioning against calls to amend its enabling Act to satisfy what it described as the whims of a disgruntled segment of the political class.

Such amendments, it warned, would require careful consideration and may not be in the national interest.

The EFCC urged “well-meaning, reform-minded and patriotic Nigerians” to support its anti-corruption mandate, describing the fight against graft as a dignity-restoring effort for the country.