More than 40 officers and men of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have been dismissed from service in the past two and a half years for offences related to corruption and other sharp practices.

The commission revealed this on Monday, saying that they were sacked over their involvement in alleged corruption and financial malfeasance that could tarnish the image of the agency.

The EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, who disclosed this in Abuja when he met with media executives and other journalists in Abuja, said more than five of them are currently facing prosecution.

According to him, the case files of others involved that are yet to face the wrath of the law were being prepared for prosecution.

He stressed that these were part of the efforts to ensure that personnel of the anti-graft agency maintained the highest standards of integrity while investigating and prosecuting corruption cases.

“In the past two and a half years or three years of my service, I have asked them to dismiss over 40 staff on account of corruption and financial malpractice.

“More than five of them are being prosecuted at the moment. You can follow those cases in court; they are public knowledge,” the anti-graft agency boss told journalists.

Former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva, has been summoned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged $14.86 million fraud case.

EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, disclosed this on Monday while responding to Sylva’s allegation that the anti-graft agency had become politically aligned with the All Progressives Congress.

“He has been declared wanted; he should make himself available to the commission,” Oyewale said.

Sylva, who resigned from the APC on Monday, had accused the ruling party of abandoning its founding ideals and criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu for disappointing Nigerians.

In his resignation letter, which was also copied to the EFCC, Sylva alleged that the commission had increasingly conducted itself as an organ of the APC rather than as a state institution.

He said he was aware that his resignation could trigger further investigations against him and his associates but described the risk as one he was prepared to take.

The EFCC declared Sylva wanted in November 2025 over an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion involving $14,859,257.

The former governor has also been linked to an alleged plot against the Tinubu administration and is listed as a defendant in a 13-count federal charge involving allegations including treason, terrorism-related offences, conspiracy and money laundering.

Sylva has denied involvement in the alleged plot, and the allegations against him remain before the courts. He has not been convicted.

Former vice president and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, is angry with President Bola Tinubu for embarking on a three-week vacation in Europe amid the country’s economic and security challenges.

Atiku, in a statement issued after Tinubu’s departure, said the President’s absence from the country at a time of widespread hardship reflects what he described as a “disturbing vacuum of political leadership”.

He acknowledged that there was no constitutional vacuum, but argued that the circumstances surrounding the President’s trip raised questions about his leadership priorities.

“Nigeria may not be facing a constitutional vacuum today, but there is a disturbing vacuum of political leadership,” Atiku said.

The former vice-president contrasted Tinubu’s trip with his own travels, noting that the responsibilities of a sitting president were different from those of a private citizen

“I have travelled, lived and spent time abroad, and I have never pretended otherwise. But there is a fundamental difference between the travels of a private citizen and the responsibility of the sitting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.