“Be accountable, you have no immunity”: EFCC fires warning to Local Government Chairmen

The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ola Oluoyede has warned the local government Chairmen across the country to take the issue of accountability seriously as they do not have immunity from investigation and prosecution for fraud.

He gave the charge in Gombe, Gombe state on Wednesday, February 19, 2025 while speaking at the Gombe State Local Government Summit.

He pointedly told the local council Chairs to be prudent in the management of huge resources at their disposal stressing that “Local government chairmen do not have immunity and we are not going to wait until you finish your tenure to come after you”.

The EFCC’s boss decried the stagnation, poverty and deprivation rampant in rural areas across the country in spite of enormous resources that have been deployed to those places over the years.

“The impact of these resources are not felt by the people living in these areas. Councils instead of becoming catalysts of growth, have become caricatures existing only in name,” he stated.

To ensure prudent management of resources and accountable stewardship, he recommended to the Chairmen the need to establish a compliance unit to assist them in monitoring the use of resources and the delivery of projects.

He informed them that the Commission has established a Fraud Risk Assessment and Control, FRAC, Department, adding that officers of the Department will be visiting local government councils in Gombe state to monitor the use of the expected enhanced receipts from the Federation account.

“EFCC will be paying you visits occasionally to monitor how you are using the funds. We will come in the evening. Sometimes you may even be seeing us in your dreams,” he stated.