The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Olanipekun Olukoyede, has revealed that he turned down about N500 million in gifts from various individuals during his mother’s funeral in 2019.
Speaking at the 38th Anti-Corruption Situation Room in Abuja on Thursday, Olukoyede said the gifts, which included cheques and drafts, were sent by ministers, permanent secretaries, and top government officials while he was serving as EFCC Secretary.
He recounted discovering numerous cheques in a carton after returning home to Ekiti State for the burial.
“When I got home, my gate man presented a box to me, and inside, I saw so many cheques and drafts from ministers, permanent secretaries, and DGs of agencies. By the time we counted everything, it was close to N500 million,” he said.
Olukoyede noted that if he had deposited the money, it could have been used against him during later investigations, raising questions about his integrity.
“I did the burial in September 2019. By July 2020, I was under investigation. Now, assuming all those cheques were paid into my account as traditional gifts from people we were investigating, how would I have explained that before a panel?” he asked.
He also shared how he rejected attempts by family members to bid for auctioneering services during his time as EFCC Secretary, stressing his commitment to transparency.
According to him, his brother-in-law, an international auctioneer, applied to participate in a government auction of forfeited assets, but he shredded the application to avoid a conflict of interest.
Similarly, his elder brother requested help in acquiring a truck through the auction, but he declined.
“Eight months later, a panel was set up to investigate EFCC activities. They scrutinised an auction I handled in Port Harcourt. Now, assuming they found my brother-in-law’s name among the auctioneers, what would have been the result? Probably, I may be in jail by now,” he said.
Olukoyede emphasized the importance of ethical conduct in public service, urging officials to uphold integrity in their duties.