EFCC Offers 5% Reward for Tips Leading to Recovery of Stolen Assets Stashed Abroad Would You Take the Chance?
Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has renewed its call for whistleblowers with credible information on Nigerian assets allegedly stolen and moved abroad, offering financial rewards of between 2.5 and 5 percent of whatever is successfully recovered.
EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede made the offer on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, while delivering a lecture at the 43rd Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime in the United Kingdom. Addressing the audience directly, he said anyone with knowledge of where stolen Nigerian assets are hidden anywhere in the world stood to gain financially once recovery was secured.
"I welcome all of you to the world of whistleblowing," Olukoyede told the gathering, before laying out the incentive on offer for actionable intelligence.
Why Now
The renewed appeal comes as the EFCC touts a strong recovery record under Olukoyede's leadership. He disclosed that the commission has forfeited cash and assets worth more than $500 million (roughly ₦775 billion at current official exchange rates) to the Nigerian government within less than three years of his taking office, crediting the recoveries to the work of investigators, a supportive judiciary, and access to credible intelligence.
Among the recent high-profile cases cited are the Supreme Court's July 2026 restoration of forfeited properties in Lekki, Ikoyi, and Agbor linked to former Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele, and a Federal High Court order that same month for the final forfeiture of 48 properties tied to former Attorney-General Abubakar Malami. Other recoveries this year reportedly include an aircraft, a university, and multiple estates and houses allegedly linked to proceeds of crime.
Olukoyede also pointed to Nigeria's non-conviction-based asset forfeiture framework, which allows the EFCC to pursue forfeiture of assets suspected to be proceeds of crime without first securing a criminal conviction an approach he said mirrors practices in Australia and Canada.
The Incentive, In His Words
Explaining the reward structure, Olukoyede said the financial incentive was designed specifically to encourage ordinary citizens, in Nigeria and abroad, to come forward with information they might otherwise sit on. He went further, suggesting that a single credible tip could be life-changing for the person who provides it hinting that some whistleblowers could become millionaires if their information leads to major recoveries.
Would You Try Your Luck?
The EFCC's offer raises a question every Nigerian abroad, and indeed at home, might quietly be asking themselves: if you knew where stolen national wealth was hidden, would you come forward for a cut of its recovery? For a country where corruption and capital flight have long drained public resources meant for schools, hospitals, and infrastructure, the commission is betting that the promise of a substantial reward and the chance to strike a blow against impunity will be enough to loosen tongues that have stayed silent for years.
Whether ordinary Nigerians answer that call, and whether whistleblower protections prove strong enough to make them feel safe doing so, will determine if this latest push becomes another turning point in Nigeria's long fight to bring stolen wealth home.
Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/Science communicator, Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,United States Institute of Peace (USIP), mustysallama@gmail.com +233555275880
Sources
Nairametrics, "EFCC offers whistleblowers 5% reward to uncover stolen Nigerian assets abroad" https://nairametrics.com/2026/08/26/efcc-offers-whistleblowers-5-reward-to-uncover-stolen-nigerian-assets-abroad/
Pulse Nigeria, "EFCC says whistleblowers could become millionaires by helping recover Nigeria's stolen assets" https://www.pulse.ng/story/efcc-whistleblowers-stolen-nigerian-assets-abroad-reward-2026082620135172483
Blueprint Newspapers, "EFCC offers 5% reward to whistleblowers on stolen national assets abroad" https://blueprint.ng/efcc-offers-5-reward-to-whistleblowers-on-stolen-national-assets-abroad/
Sahara Reporters, "EFCC Offers Whistleblowers Up To 5% For Recovering Stolen Nigerian Assets Anywhere In The World" https://saharareporters.com/2026/08/26/efcc-offers-whistleblowers-5-recovering-stolen-nigerian-assets-anywhere-world
Chronicle NG, "EFCC offers whistleblowers up to 5% for stolen assets tips" https://chronicle.ng/efcc-whistleblowers-stolen-assets-tips/
Author has 1861 publications here on modernghana.com
Disclaimer: "The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect ModernGhana official position. ModernGhana will not be responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements in the contributions or columns here."