By David Lawani, Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has revealed that pastors, imams and other religious figures feature prominently among suspects in its financial-crime investigations, with some already convicted and imprisoned for offences.
EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, made the disclosure on Wednesday in Abuja while addressing the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), where the anti-graft agency also launched an interfaith anti-corruption manual.
Olukoyede said the Commission’s case files contained numerous suspects identified by religious titles, prompting him to question whether such titles should continue to be used for individuals facing financial-crime allegations or convictions.
“I have advocated for review of the title we give to men of God. Maybe if we can remove that title, pastor and imam,” he said.
The EFCC chairman insisted that religious identity would not shield anyone from investigation or prosecution where there was evidence of financial wrongdoing.
“If you think you’re a Christian or you’re a pastor here, and you commit financial crime, I will be your enemy. I won’t be your friend,” he declared.
He challenged churches and mosques to scrutinise the sources of wealth and large donations brought into their institutions, warning that accepting unexplained funds in the name of religious expansion could provide moral cover for corruption.
Olukoyede cited the example of a public servant who allegedly built a multimillion-naira religious facility far beyond what could reasonably be supported by the official’s known earnings.
“If a public servant says he has built a mosque that is worth more than his earnings in the next 500 years, and you go there to dedicate it, you are dedicating the proceeds of crime,” he said.
He similarly warned religious leaders against accepting huge donations without asking questions about their sources.
“If he says he is giving you N550 million and you don’t ask questions, and you say, ‘God bless you,’ you are blessing the proceeds of crime,” Olukoyede said.
The EFCC chairman also recounted an encounter with a suspect who introduced himself through several religious titles when he appeared in his office.
“I said, wait there. Don’t bring that one here. Did you misappropriate money or not?” he said, adding that the suspect subsequently faced five charges.
Olukoyede called for a clear separation between the finances of religious institutions and the private businesses or personal interests of their leaders.
He said offerings, zakat and other funds belonging to religious organisations should remain in institutional accounts and should not be diverted to private businesses.
According to him, religious leaders have an important role to play in preventing corruption by shaping the character and values of their followers.
“The EFCC can investigate a person’s conduct. Faith communities can influence that person’s character,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to change their attitude towards unexplained wealth and attach greater value to integrity and legitimate work.
“Integrity is not foolishness. Honest labour is not failure,” Olukoyede said.
*Anti-graft boss, Olukoyede, alleges 75% of pilgrims’ funds stolen
The EFCC chairman also disclosed that previous investigations into the Christian Pilgrims Board and the Muslim Pilgrims Board produced what he described as “mind-boggling” findings.
According to him, almost 75 per cent of funds released by the Federal Government to sponsor pilgrims were allegedly stolen by leaders of the two organisations.
He said the investigations also uncovered alleged conflicts of interest involving officials, including claims that some established private companies in countries to which Nigerian pilgrims travelled.
“Some of them would register companies of their own in those countries we are travelling to by themselves. All kinds of criminal conflict of interest. The message should begin with us as leaders before we even go down to our followers. If as leaders we do the right thing, the followers will emulate us.”
Olukoyede said the revelations underscored the need for religious institutions to establish firm financial controls and ensure that funds belonging to their organisations were not mixed with the private interests of their leaders.
He said the fight against corruption should not be left to law enforcement agencies alone, stressing that faith communities could help prevent corruption before it occurred.
The EFCC chairman also disclosed that the Commission had dismissed more than 40 employees following findings of corrupt practices and other gross misconduct.
He said an institution responsible for fighting corruption must demonstrate integrity within its own ranks.
Olukoyede further highlighted the Commission’s fraud-risk assessment and control initiative, saying the EFCC was increasingly concentrating on preventing public funds from being stolen rather than waiting until the money had disappeared.
He said the Commission monitors the release and application of government funds, as well as the execution of public projects, describing prevention as central to Nigeria’s future anti-corruption efforts.
The EFCC boss maintained that corruption should not be viewed through religious, ethnic or political lenses, insisting that financial crimes had no religious identity.
“We believe that no religion condones corruption and no faith entertains fraudulent engagement. The EFCC believes that financial crimes have no religion. Corruption has no tribe. Fraud does not become Christian or Muslim because of the identity of the person accused of committing it,” he said.
Olukoyede challenged religious institutions to confront the culture of celebrating wealth without questioning its source.
“We must ask difficult questions. What message do we send when unexplained wealth commands more respect than integrity? What do young Nigerians learn when society celebrates the wealthy person but rarely asks how the wealth was acquired?”
He said the fight against corruption could not be won through arrests and prosecutions alone, urging faith communities to make ethical conduct a central part of their teachings.
The Sultan of Sokoto and Co-Chairman of NIREC, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, supported the call for accountability, insisting that no religious leader or influential Nigerian should be shielded from the law when found culpable.
The Sultan warned against using proceeds of corruption to finance religious activities, including pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Saudi Arabia.
“You cannot steal money and then send people to Jerusalem and Mecca with corrupt money, and then you think God will accept your deeds. No.”
He urged authorities responsible for fighting corruption to pursue suspects regardless of their religious status or connections.
“Whoever is involved, even our brothers, our sisters, our fathers, our friends, those involved, should face the law.”
The Sultan also cautioned religious leaders against intervening when their members or colleagues were facing legitimate legal proceedings.
“If he is facing the law, don’t tell me he is the pastor of so-and-so church, he is the chief monk of so-and-so national mosque. We don’t want to hear that,” he said.
He called for greater understanding between Christians and Muslims, saying Nigerians should move beyond merely tolerating one another and develop a deeper appreciation of each other’s faiths.
“Understanding is more important than toleration,” he said.
The Sultan also urged religious leaders and their followers to pray for Nigeria’s political leaders irrespective of their political differences, while cautioning against using pulpits to promote or denigrate political candidates.
*Commission declares Maina wanted over alleged stolen property
In a separate development, the EFCC has declared the former Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina, wanted over an alleged case of receiving stolen property.
The Commission announced the development in a wanted notice issued on its X handle and signed by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale.
The EFCC said Maina, 61, an indigene of Biu, Borno State, was wanted in connection with the alleged offence.
“The public is hereby notified that Abdularasheed Abdullahi Maina, whose photograph appears above, is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in an alleged case of receiving stolen property,” the Commission said.
The anti-graft agency appealed to members of the public with information about Maina’s whereabouts to contact any of its offices across the country or the nearest police station or other security agency.
The EFCC listed its offices in Ibadan, Uyo, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Benin, Makurdi, Kaduna, Ilorin, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt and Abuja as contact points for information.
It also provided its designated telephone and email channels for members of the public willing to assist in locating him.
The Commission, however, did not disclose further details about the alleged stolen property or when the alleged offence occurred.
The latest development adds to Maina’s previous legal troubles over allegations linked to pension funds.
He had earlier been declared wanted by the EFCC after failing to appear for trial in a case involving alleged N2 billion fraud linked to the pension reform programme.
He was subsequently arrested in Niger Republic in 2019 and returned to Nigeria to face trial.
In November 2021, a Federal High Court in Abuja convicted Maina and sentenced him to eight years in prison for money-laundering offences.
The Nigerian Correctional Service later disclosed that Maina was released from custody on February 25, 2025, after serving part of his sentence.
The Service attributed his release to good conduct in prison and said the decision was made in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
