The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has called on whistleblowers across the world to provide credible and actionable intelligence that could help Nigeria trace and recover assets allegedly stolen and taken abroad.
Olukoyede made the call on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, while delivering a lecture at the 43rd International Symposium on Economic Crime in Cambridge, United Kingdom.
He said individuals with credible information on the location of Nigerian assets suspected to be proceeds of corruption could approach the EFCC, assuring them of financial incentives upon successful recovery.
According to him, whistleblowers could receive between 2.5 and five per cent of recovered assets under the incentive framework established to encourage the disclosure of information on stolen assets.
«“If any one of you is privy to where Nigerian assets are stolen or taken to anywhere in the world, we have an incentive for you; between 2.5% and 5%, it’s going to go back to you upon recovery,” he said.»
The EFCC chairman said the incentive was designed to encourage individuals with useful information to come forward and support the country’s asset recovery efforts.
Olukoyede also disclosed that the EFCC had, within less than three years of his assumption of office, recovered and forfeited cash and assets worth more than $500 million to the Nigerian government.
He attributed the recoveries to the professionalism of EFCC investigators, judicial support and access to credible intelligence.
The anti-graft agency’s chairman further highlighted Nigeria’s non-conviction-based asset forfeiture framework, which he said enables authorities to seek the forfeiture of assets suspected to be proceeds of crime without waiting for a criminal conviction.
He noted that similar approaches exist in countries such as Australia and Canada.
According to Olukoyede, the EFCC had used the framework to secure the forfeiture of several assets, including an aircraft, a university, estates and houses allegedly linked to proceeds of crime.
He specifically cited the recovery of 752 housing units linked to former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
Olukoyede also disclosed that investigations into former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, led to the forfeiture of 48 of 57 properties allegedly linked to him.
He said the investigation was opened following reasonable suspicion of criminal abuse of office and traced the properties to the former minister during his eight-year tenure.
The 43rd International Symposium on Economic Crime, an annual gathering of anti-corruption experts and practitioners from around the world, is being held in Cambridge.
Olukoyede’s presentation took place on the third day of the week-long symposium, which focuses on emerging challenges and strategies in combating economic and financial crimes globally.