Financial Crime Has No Religion, EFCC Chair Tells Religious Leaders

By Nafiu Muhammad Lema

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has called on Christian and Muslim leaders across Nigeria to intensify efforts to discourage corruption and financial crimes among their followers.

Olukoyede made the call on Wednesday in Abuja at the 2026 second council meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), where an anti-corruption interfaith manual for religious leaders was also launched.

Speaking on the theme, “Shared Sacred Flourishing in Nigeria,” the EFCC chairman said corruption undermines collective prosperity by enabling individuals to benefit from public resources at the expense of the wider society.

He urged religious leaders to use their influence to promote honesty, accountability and responsible use of public resources.

“Corruption privatises what is shared, converts the commonwealth into private advantage, and allows one person to flourish by making many others poorer,” Olukoyede said.

He explained that the EFCC’s responsibility was to protect the integrity of Nigeria’s commonwealth, while religious institutions had a complementary role in shaping the moral character of citizens.

According to him, the commission has over the years worked with Christian and Muslim leaders through an interfaith framework to strengthen anti-corruption advocacy in churches and mosques.

“We believe that no religion condones corruption and no faith entertains fraudulent engagements,” he said.

Olukoyede said the newly launched manual was jointly developed with Christian and Muslim leaders and contains relevant teachings from the holy books on corruption and ethical conduct.

He expressed hope that religious leaders would use the document as a resource for delivering stronger anti-corruption messages to their congregations.

The EFCC chairman noted that the consequences of financial crimes affect Nigerians irrespective of religion or ethnicity, stressing that stolen public resources, unemployment, poor infrastructure and inflation affect the entire population.

“Financial crime has 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 further urged churches and mosques to become more actively involved in preventing corruption by challenging attitudes that glorify wealth without questioning its source.

“The EFCC can investigate a person’s conduct. Faith communities can influence that person’s character. We can prosecute fraud. Religious teaching can cultivate honesty,” he said.

He added: “We can confiscate illicit wealth. Churches and mosques can challenge the values that make society worship wealth without questioning its source. We can punish corruption after the event. Faith can help prevent it before it begins.”

The EFCC chairman said stronger collaboration between law enforcement agencies and religious institutions would help promote integrity, justice, human dignity and the wellbeing of Nigerians.