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By Lizzy Chirkpi
The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has denied reports alleging that he, alongside the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Adeola Ajayi, coerced the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, into resigning.
The controversy erupted following a report published on August 2, 2025, by an online medium claiming that Ojulari was compelled to sign a resignation letter during a high-level meeting in Abuja, allegedly under pressure from both Olukoyede and Ajayi.
The report further claimed that Ojulari was interrogated over his purported relationship with Olatimbo Ayinde, a British-Nigerian oil magnate who, according to unnamed sources, is said to have significant influence in the current administration. The situation reportedly escalated when Ojulari was later summoned to the Presidential Villa, where First Lady Senator Remi Tinubu was said to have strongly opposed his resignation.
In response to the growing speculation and public reaction, the EFCC Chairman, through his lawyer Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), issued a letter to the publication, dismissing the allegations as a malicious fabrication intended to damage his personal and professional integrity.
“The publications and the imputations conveyed by them are so damning and cannot be ignored or treated with levity,” said Olumide-Fusika in the statement issued Wednesday by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale.
Olukoyede particularly refuted the claim that he acted under the influence of Olatimbo Ayinde, describing the suggestion as a grave attempt to undermine public trust in the EFCC.
The letter, addressed to the editor of the publication, reads:
“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 EFCC Chairman argued that the publication sought to paint him as “someone that has betrayed and subverted public trust by submitting the authority of his public office and trust as Chairman of the EFCC to the dictates and directives of one Olatimbo Ayinde.”
Labeling the story a “complete fabrication,” Olukoyede demanded a full retraction and public apology to be issued within 48 hours on all platforms where the report was published. His legal team warned of legal consequences should the medium fail to comply.
“Any failure of compliance with these instructions will result in the issuance of a writ in the tort of defamation,” the letter warned.
As of the time of this report, the publication in question has not been publicly retracted in response to the EFCC Chairman’s demands.