RismadarVoice Reporters
October 2, 2026
Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo has recounted his encounter with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission following his tenure as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, saying an investigation involving the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Plc did not establish wrongdoing against him.
Soludo spoke during the commissioning of the EFCC Awka Zonal Directorate Complex, which is expected to serve Anambra and Imo states.
The governor said the commission invited him after his name emerged in connection with an investigation into the activities of the Mint, where he had served as chairman of the board during his time at the CBN.
According to Soludo, he honoured the invitation after receiving notice of the investigation and was questioned by the commission.
He said that after about a year without further communication, he wrote to the EFCC seeking clarification on the status of the investigation and was subsequently informed that no corrupt conduct had been established against him.
“My personal testimony about the professionalism of this commission is that when I left office as CBN governor, EFCC was investigating Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company, the Mint, an agency within the bank,” Soludo said.
He explained that because he had chaired the Mint’s board, he appeared before investigators when invited.
Soludo said the commission later formally informed him that the investigation had not linked him to wrongdoing.
He added that the then EFCC chairman had also clarified that he was not the subject of the investigation after his name was mentioned in connection with the matter.
The governor said his experience demonstrated the importance of law enforcement agencies communicating the outcome of investigations to individuals invited for questioning, particularly where no wrongdoing is established.
According to him, an invitation by an anti-graft or law enforcement agency can attract significant public attention and may sometimes be interpreted as evidence of guilt even before an investigation is concluded.
Soludo therefore urged the EFCC to ensure that people cleared during investigations are formally informed of the outcome.
Speaking on the newly commissioned Awka zonal office, the governor welcomed the expansion of the commission’s presence in the South-East, saying it would support investigations into economic and financial crimes in the region.
He acknowledged the EFCC’s staffing limitations, noting that establishing offices across all 774 local government areas would require considerably greater manpower.
Soludo said the Awka office would serve Anambra and Imo states for the time being and assured the commission of the Anambra State Government’s cooperation.
He also said his administration would work with the EFCC in areas involving revenue and taxation while strengthening awareness of financial crime prevention among civil servants and local government officials.
“We will not just be waiting for you to come from Abuja; we will be visiting you because it’s in our own interest that we should minimise financial crimes to the barest minimum,” Soludo said.
He maintained that tackling economic and financial crimes requires cooperation among government institutions and citizens, describing effective anti-corruption enforcement as important to Nigeria’s development.
