The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Olanipekun Olukoyede, has revealed that he turned down financial gifts amounting to N500 million during his mother’s burial in 2019.
News About Nigeria reports that the money came in the form of cheques and bank drafts sent by ministers, directors, and heads of government agencies.
Olukoyede, who was serving as the EFCC Secretary at the time, said he discovered the cheques in a carton when he returned to his family home in Ekiti State for the funeral.
After reviewing them, he decided to return the money, recognizing the ethical risks involved.
Speaking at an anti-corruption event in Abuja, he explained that accepting such funds could have compromised his integrity, especially since some of the donors were under EFCC investigation.
He also shared how he refused to grant business favors to his family members.
During his tenure as EFCC Secretary, his brother-in-law, an international auctioneer, and his elder brother sought to participate in a government auction of forfeited assets.
Despite their personal connections, he rejected their applications, citing conflict-of-interest rules.
Olukoyede said these decisions later protected him when a panel investigated EFCC activities, including auctions conducted under his leadership.
He said: “When I got home, my gate man presented a box (carton) to me and inside it, I saw so many cheques and drafts from ministers, permanent secretaries, directors, DGs of agencies, etc.
“And so, I went in and showed it to my wife. She said, ‘Praise God’. I said, ‘Praise God for what?’ By the time we put all the cheques together, it counted close to N500m.”
