By Fisayo Akinduro

…as ‘netizens’ accuse anti-graft agency of partiality, discrimination

‘Why are their names, pictures missing from EFCC posts?’

Nigerians have urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to disclose the identities of 10 of its officials detained over allegations of theft involving cash and jewellery.

The demand follows the agency’s announcement on Wednesday of the arrests, which come after the dismissal of 27 officers from its ranks in 2024.

Sources revealed that between $350,000 and $400,000 is reportedly missing, alongside valuable jewellery and other high-priced items.

The EFCC, long seen as a vanguard in the fight against corruption, is now grappling with a severe reputational crisis as public confidence in its operations wavers.

With an investigation underway, the agency faces mounting pressure to address the alleged internal misconduct and implement measures to prevent such incidents in the future.

However, the EFCC’s reluctance to release the names and photographs of the implicated officials has raised eyebrows, prompting criticism from Nigerians on social media.

Efforts to obtain comments from the commission’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, have so far been unsuccessful.

On social media platform X (formerly Twitter), users expressed frustration over what they see as double standards in the EFCC’s handling of internal misconduct compared to its treatment of ordinary citizens accused of crimes.

An X user, Asiwaju Oladimeji, questioned the EFCC’s silence on the identities of the detained officials, saying: “Why are their names and pictures missing from this post? How do you intend to gain public trust when you hide the identities of the criminals within your organisation but display ordinary public suspects for crimes they are yet to be found guilty of?”

Another user, Michael Igence, added: “You have arrested your own officers and are conducting investigations but have failed to reveal their names or pictures. When you arrest young boys for alleged fraud, even while investigations are ongoing, you plaster their names and pictures all over.”

Similarly, Sahito called for more accountability from the EFCC, suggesting the publication of seized and recovered assets to curb the disappearance of confiscated items. “Without doing this, a lot of unaccounted items will keep missing, and nothing will be done about it,” Sahito noted.

Aliyu Muhammad, another commentator, shared his personal experience, saying: “As a victim of undesirable activities taking place in your operations department, I am still challenging your organisation to parade them as you usually do with Yahoo Boys.”

As public scrutiny intensifies, the EFCC’s response to these calls for transparency will play a critical role in shaping perceptions of its commitment to combating corruption within and outside its ranks.