“Financial Crime Has No Religion, Corruption Has No Tribe” — EFCC Chairman Tells Churches, Mosques

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has called on churches and mosques across Nigeria to take a more active role in the fight against corruption, saying religious leaders can help tackle the attitudes that encourage people to pursue wealth without questioning how it was acquired.

EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede made the appeal on Wednesday in Abuja during the second 2026 Council Meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), where the commission unveiled a new anti-corruption manual designed for Christian and Muslim religious leaders.

Rather than waiting until corruption has been committed before confronting it through investigation and prosecution, Olukoyede urged pastors, imams and other religious teachers to address the problem at the level of values and character.

He said religious institutions have a unique opportunity to influence how Nigerians perceive wealth, integrity and responsibility.

“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,” Olukoyede said.

According to him, law enforcement can recover stolen assets and prosecute offenders, but religious institutions can help prevent financial crimes by challenging a culture in which wealth is admired without asking questions about its source.

The EFCC chairman stressed that corruption should not be viewed through religious or ethnic lenses, noting that financial crimes affect Nigerians regardless of their faith or background.

“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 also pointed to the wider consequences of corruption, noting that money diverted from the public purse ultimately affects ordinary citizens through inadequate infrastructure, poor public services, limited employment opportunities and underfunded hospitals.

He said the EFCC had therefore continued to strengthen its partnership with Christian and Muslim leaders as part of its preventive approach to corruption.

The newly launched manual contains teachings and doctrinal positions drawn from both Christianity and Islam and is intended to provide religious leaders with material they can incorporate into sermons, lectures and community engagements.

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Olukoyede urged clerics to make use of the resource, stressing that neither of the two major faith traditions condones corruption or fraudulent behaviour.

Executive Secretary of NIREC, Prof. Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua, said the second edition of the Anti-Corruption Preaching and Teaching Manual was developed through the EFCC’s Interfaith Anti-Corruption Advisory Committee.

He explained that the manual and accompanying facilitators’ guides were designed to help Christian and Muslim preachers communicate anti-corruption teachings while also promoting peaceful coexistence.

Omonokhua argued that religious leaders who engage in corrupt practices undermine the very teachings they are expected to uphold.

He said the initiative would also address situations where religious language or preaching is allegedly used to justify, encourage or conceal corrupt practices.

The Abuja meeting attracted prominent Christian and Muslim leaders, including Christian Association of Nigeria President Rev. Daniel Okoh, Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, Emir of Zazzau Alhaji Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli and Shehu of Borno Abubakar Umar El-Kanemi.

Representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the gathering, Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume also called for stronger collaboration between government and religious institutions in tackling insecurity and other challenges confronting the country.

Akume urged Christian and Muslim leaders to speak with one voice against terrorism, banditry and other forms of criminality, saying religious and community leaders have significant influence in shaping public attitudes.

He said the Federal Government would continue working to protect lives and livelihoods, while calling for greater cooperation among government institutions, religious bodies and communities.

The EFCC’s renewed engagement with religious institutions reflects its broader emphasis on preventing corruption by influencing social attitudes and values before cases reach the stage of investigation, prosecution and asset recovery.