The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has dismissed more than 40 of its personnel over alleged corruption and financial malpractice since Ola Olukoyede assumed office as chairman of the anti-graft agency.

Olukoyede disclosed this on Monday during a briefing at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, where he reviewed the activities and reforms implemented under his leadership.

According to the EFCC chairman, more than five of the dismissed officers are currently facing prosecution, while case files involving other affected personnel are being prepared for prosecution.

“In the past two and a half years or three years of my service, I’ve asked them to dismiss over 40 staff on account of corruption and financial malpractice. More than five of them are being prosecuted at the moment,” Olukoyede said.

He stressed that the commission would not protect its own personnel when they were found to have engaged in the same corrupt practices for which the EFCC investigates and prosecutes members of the public.

“Because if that is what people do in other agencies and I arrest them, I investigate them, I prosecute them, why must I just dismiss you if you do it within our own system and I’m not prosecuting you?” he asked.

Olukoyede said some of the affected officers were already standing trial, adding that the relevant court cases were matters of public record.

As part of efforts to strengthen internal accountability, the chairman disclosed that the EFCC had renamed its former Department of Internal Affairs as the Department of Ethics and Integrity.

He explained that the change was designed to reinforce the commission’s commitment to what he called “internal cleansing” and ensure that its personnel maintained the standards expected of an institution leading the fight against corruption.

Olukoyede also announced the introduction of a gift policy for EFCC personnel, under which officers would be required to declare gifts above a specified threshold, including gifts received from relatives abroad.

He said the commission would also establish clear categories of gifts that personnel could accept, stressing that officers must be able to account for their sources of wealth, means of livelihood and standard of living.

“You must be sure that your hands are clean. You can’t be fighting corruption when your hands are soiled with corrupt practices,” the EFCC chairman said.