The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has expressed discontent over calls for its overhaul, asserting that those advocating for this change are “feeling the heat” of the commission's work.
Wilson Uwujaren, the EFCC’s Director of Public Affairs, made these remarks during an interview on National Tv on Monday. The EFCC is currently facing a legal challenge in the Supreme Court from 16 state governments, initiated by the Kogi State Government and supported by states including Ondo, Edo, Oyo, Ogun, and Nassarawa amongst others.
A seven-member panel of justices, led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, has scheduled a hearing for October 22. Uwujaren emphasized the importance of the EFCC in Nigeria's fight against corruption, arguing that those calling for its overhaul aim to “derail” its efforts.
“We are really shocked by what is happening. Nigerians should see through this shenanigan and oppose it because I don’t see how this country can survive without the EFCC, given the kind of corruption problem that we have. Nigeria cannot do without the EFCC.
“I am worried that, with the kind of problem we have with corruption in this country, some people would go to court to challenge the legality of the EFCC. For citizens in their states, I am not sure that the EFCC is their greatest problem. I doubt that this is the case. What you see playing out is simply people who are feeling the heat of the work of the EFCC and who want to derail what is going on within the EFCC.
“They see the EFCC as a threat, and purely that is what is playing out. I think Nigerians can see through the gimmick of those who are behind the challenge to the legality of the commission,” Uwujaren said.
He also stated: “People who are concerned about transparency and accountability wish for the EFCC to be ‘killed.’ Let me use the word ‘killed’ because that is the agenda.”
“They simply want to derail the fight against corruption because they don’t want accountability in their domains.”
Legal perspectives on the EFCC's constitutionality vary. Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, has written to the National Assembly, questioning the legal framework surrounding law enforcement agencies, asserting that the EFCC was “unconstitutionally established.”
“I very strongly believe the EFCC is unconstitutionally established. The powers under which it was established go beyond the powers of the National Assembly. The EFCC is an unlawful organization,” he said.
In two separate letters to the Senate and House of Representatives, dated October 14, 2024, he stated that the EFCC was an unlawful organisation that he believed was “unconstitutionally established.”
In contrast, human rights activist Femi Falana countered Agbakoba's stance in a letter to the National Assembly, arguing that the former NBA president's position is based on the assumption that the EFCC’s creation violates fundamental principles of federalism.
