Protesters storm NASS, warns Senate against confirmation of Olukoyede as EFCC Chair

A civil society group under the aegies of the Centre For Democracy and Human Rights (CDHR) on Tuesday, stormed the National Assembly in Abuja to demand the immediate removal of the newly-appointed Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, by the Senate over alleged lack of qualifications.

The angry protesters also called on President Bola Tinubu and the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, to immediately discontinue the appointment of Olukoyede on the grounds that he was not qualified to head the anti-graft agency.

The CDHR National Secretary, Adebayo Ogorry, while asking the Senate not to confirm the appointment of Olukoyede, noted that President Bola Tinubu failed to obey extant laws guiding the appointment of an EFCC Chairman in appointing Olukoyede.

“It is important to note that the EFCC extant laws remain sacrosanct and need to be strictly adhered to before going ahead to appoint a chairman for the Commission,” Ogorry said.

“We write to draw the attention of the Senate to the gross violation of the extant laws, which is the Establishment Act 2004 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu in appointing Mr Ola Olukoyede as Chairman of the Commission on Thursday, October 12, 2023,” he said.

“The action of Tinubu in making the appointment of Mr Olukoyede into such a high office with enormous responsibility as the chairman of the EFCC in breach of the provisions of the laws of the parliament is contrary to the oath he took on May 29, 2023, to protect and defend the laws of the nation.

“It is important to note that the EFCC Extant laws remain sacrosanct and need to be strictly adhered to before going ahead to appoint a chairman for the Commission.

“President Tinubu as the number one citizen, whose office is the creation of the law, needs to comply with the EFCC extant laws and not be seen to set a wrong precedence for successive administrations in making his appointment, which can slip the country into a state of anarchy.”

Read also: Appointment of Olukoyede as EFCC Chair illegal, violates Commission’s Act —Bwala

The group cited the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004 which says the “Commission shall consist of the following members- (a) A chairman, who shall- (i) be the Chief Executive and Accounting officer of the Commission, (ii) be a serving or retired member of any government security or law enforcement agency not below the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police or equivalent; and (iii) Possess not less than 15 years cognate experience.”

“What this section simply means is that not all members of the police force, other Forces and indeed the EFCC can be the Executive Chairman of the EFCC. A pilot, medical personnel, Admin officer, etc who has 15 years of police or paramilitary service, are ordinarily devoid of the cognate experience of enforcing the laws of the EFCC.

“This much is gleaned from Section 8 (5) of the EFCC Act which states that ‘all officers involved in the enforcement of the Act shall have the same powers, authorities, privileges (including power to bear arms) as are given by law to members of the Nigerian Police,” Ogorry said.

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