EFCC chairman denies forcing NNPCL boss to resign
The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has strongly denied reports alleging that he coerced Bayo Ojulari, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), into resigning from his position.
The allegations surfaced in an August 2, 2025, online publication which claimed that Olukoyede, alongside the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Adeola Ajayi, pressured Ojulari to sign a resignation letter during a closed-door meeting in Abuja.
The report further linked Ojulari to British-Nigerian oil magnate Olatimbo Ayinde, said to have close ties to senior officials in the current administration.
According to the same outlet, Ojulari was later summoned to the Presidential Villa, where First Lady Senator Remi Tinubu reportedly opposed his resignation.
In response, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale issued a statement on Wednesday on behalf of the Commission. Citing a letter from Olukoyede’s legal counsel, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), the Commission described the publications as defamatory, baseless, and injurious to the EFCC chairman’s reputation.
“The publications and the imputations conveyed by them are so damning and cannot be ignored or treated with levity,” the statement read.
Olukoyede categorically denied any political interference or external influence in the execution of his duties, particularly from Ayinde or any other government official. He also refuted claims that he acted improperly in his role as EFCC chairman.
In a formal letter addressed to the editor of the media outlet, Olukoyede’s legal team demanded a full retraction of the story, an unreserved public apology, and removal of the content from all platforms within 48 hours.
“He, therefore, demanded that the medium acknowledge your wrongdoing, expressly admit that what you published and imputed against my client are false, apologise for it unreservedly, and retract and pull down the stories from your newspaper website and social media handles,” the letter stated.
Olukoyede insisted the report falsely portrayed him as someone who had compromised the integrity of his office by yielding to the influence of Olatimbo Ayinde.
Warning of legal action, the EFCC chairman’s legal representatives stated that failure to comply with the demands would result in litigation.
