Tinubu made the remarks on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, during the opening of the eighth EFCC and National Judicial Institute (NJI) Workshop for Judges and Justices in Abuja.

The workshop focused on investigating and prosecuting economic and financial crimes in the digital age.

Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, the President praised the EFCC for its efforts to combat cryptocurrency fraud and recover virtual assets. He noted that the commission had continued to adapt its operations to tackle criminal activities involving emerging technologies.

Tinubu also called on anti-corruption agencies and the judiciary to strengthen their collaboration to ensure that offenders are brought to justice and recovered assets are properly managed.

Figures presented at the event showed that the EFCC filed 14,476 cases in court and secured 10,872 convictions within the first 34 months of the current administration. This represents a conviction rate of approximately 75.1 per cent compared with the number of cases filed.

The commission also recorded 1,370 convictions out of 1,889 cases filed in the first half of 2026.

During the period under review, the EFCC recovered ₦1.233 trillion, $684,478,457.32, £373,905.78 and €9,343,803.66 in financial assets.

Tinubu also highlighted the prosecution and subsequent deportation of 192 foreign nationals arrested over cyberterrorism and cryptocurrency fraud, describing the development as evidence of the agency’s efforts to combat technology-related offences.

He observed that the growing use of blockchain technology and artificial intelligence had made financial crimes increasingly complex, requiring investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers to continually improve their knowledge and skills.

The President stressed that government institutions must strengthen their investigative and prosecutorial methods to keep pace with criminals who exploit technological advancements to conceal illegal activities.

He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting judicial training and capacity development, noting that an independent and progressive judiciary remained crucial to the fight against corruption.

Tinubu urged judges to enhance their ability to handle complex financial crime cases while maintaining independence in the discharge of their duties.

He expressed concern that corruption cases could be undermined by procedural errors and other avoidable shortcomings, urging the EFCC and the judiciary to address such weaknesses and close loopholes that allow suspects to frustrate criminal proceedings.

The President maintained that the fight against corruption should not be left to the executive arm of government alone, describing it as a shared responsibility among all arms of government.

He also acknowledged the contribution of the EFCC’s asset recovery efforts to government initiatives, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) and the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP).

EFCC Chairman Highlights Operational Reforms

Speaking at the workshop, EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede said the commission had introduced reforms aimed at improving the quality of investigations, increasing asset recoveries and securing more convictions.

He explained that the agency was strengthening intelligence-led investigations, forensic operations and cooperation with local and international partners.

According to Olukoyede, the commission was also improving its understanding of emerging financial technologies to enable its officers to investigate crimes involving digital platforms and virtual assets more effectively.

He said the EFCC was focused on building stronger cases rather than simply increasing the number of suspects investigated or prosecuted. He stressed that investigations must be properly conducted, evidence must meet legal requirements, and recovered assets must be handled lawfully and transparently.

The EFCC chairman identified procedural delays and institutional challenges as major obstacles to the successful prosecution of financial crimes.

He warned that repeated adjournments and frequent changes of legal representatives could prolong trials, weaken evidence and make witnesses difficult to trace. According to him, lengthy proceedings could also erode public confidence in the justice system.

Olukoyede urged judges to approach corruption cases with integrity, courage and a firm commitment to the rule of law. He called for faster and more effective determination of cases without compromising the standards required for fair trials.

He also encouraged judicial officers to consider the long-term implications of their decisions for accountability and the fight against financial crimes.

The EFCC chairman said the ultimate objective was to build a justice system in which investigators understood the evidence required by courts, prosecutors anticipated legal challenges, forensic experts could explain digital evidence clearly, and judges had a better understanding of modern financial crimes.

Chief Justice Calls For Stronger Judicial Capacity

Chief Justice of Nigeria Kudirat Kekere-Ekun called for improved judicial capacity to address financial crimes committed through digital platforms.

She noted that cryptocurrency transactions, encrypted communications, electronic records and international financial dealings had introduced new challenges into criminal proceedings.

Kekere-Ekun stressed that judges must understand how digital evidence is obtained, preserved, authenticated and assessed before it can be relied upon in court.

She maintained that the seriousness of an allegation must not determine the outcome of a trial, insisting that prosecutors must establish their cases with credible evidence that satisfies the requirements of the law.

The Chief Justice also urged judges to apply the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, effectively to prevent unnecessary delays while safeguarding the rights of all parties.

She said continuous judicial training had improved judges’ capacity to handle financial crime cases. She also cited Nigeria’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force’s Grey List on October 24, 2025, as an achievement that required sustained cooperation among relevant institutions.

However, Kekere-Ekun cautioned that collaboration between the judiciary and anti-corruption agencies must not compromise the constitutional independence of the courts. She emphasised that institutional cooperation should never be used to influence judicial decisions.

Lawmakers, Attorney-General Seek Faster Trials

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption, Senator Emmanuel Udende, identified prolonged trials as one of the major challenges affecting Nigeria’s fight against financial crimes.

He explained that investigations and prosecutions could lose their impact when cases remained in court for years. Such delays, he said, could weaken deterrence, reduce public confidence, consume judicial resources and make the recovery of public funds more difficult.

Udende urged judges to improve case management, minimise unnecessary adjournments and ensure that proceedings were concluded within a reasonable period.

He, however, stressed that the need for faster trials must not override defendants’ rights to fair hearings and due process.

The senator also called for closer cooperation among investigators, prosecutors, defence lawyers and judges to address challenges associated with digital evidence and increasingly sophisticated financial crimes.

He urged the EFCC and the NJI to develop practical measures to reduce delays, improve the handling of electronic evidence and strengthen coordination across the criminal justice system.

Similarly, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Financial Crimes, Ginger Obinna Onwusibe, called for urgent reforms to address weaknesses in evidence management, delays in court proceedings and gaps in existing laws.

Onwusibe pledged the National Assembly’s support for the EFCC through improved funding for forensic laboratories, digital investigation equipment and specialised personnel training.

He also promised legislative efforts to improve the admissibility of digital evidence, establish clearer rules for managing virtual assets and strengthen the legal framework for tackling cybercrime and money laundering.

The lawmaker called for better welfare and the protection of judicial independence, noting that courts required adequate resources to deliver justice effectively.

He said that while the EFCC could arrest suspects and lawmakers could enact legislation, the responsibility for determining guilt and convicting offenders rested with the judiciary.

He urged judges to ensure that the justice system could respond effectively to crimes committed using modern technology.

Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, also emphasised the importance of thorough investigations and proper digital evidence management in securing successful prosecutions.

He said electronic evidence must be obtained legally, carefully preserved, reliably authenticated and linked to the specific offences alleged against defendants.

Fagbemi warned against measuring prosecutorial success solely by the number of arrests or charges filed. He said the quality of investigations, fairness of proceedings and reliability of court decisions were equally important.

The Attorney-General described prosecutors as ministers of justice, explaining that their duty was to pursue justice through lawful means rather than seek convictions at all costs.

He urged investigators, prosecutors, defence counsel and judges to perform their responsibilities professionally and ensure that efforts to accelerate trials did not undermine the right to a fair hearing.

Fagbemi also highlighted the importance of recovering and managing proceeds of crime, noting that the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act, 2022, provides a legal framework for tracing, preserving, recovering and managing assets linked to criminal activities.

He stressed that asset recovery must be supported by credible evidence and proper judicial procedures, with due regard for the rights of those affected.

The minister further called for improvements in forensic investigations, information sharing and international cooperation, particularly as financial crimes increasingly cross national borders.

He urged relevant institutions to set aside rivalries and work towards the common goal of combating corruption while protecting innocent persons and upholding the rule of law.

The opening ceremony was attended by judges, lawyers, anti-corruption experts and other stakeholders in Nigeria’s justice system.

The three-day EFCC and NJI workshop is scheduled to end on Thursday, October 15, 2026.