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I DID NOT FORCE NNPC BOSS, OJULARI TO RESIGN – EFCC CHAIR, OLUKOYEDE

August 7, 2025 • Dons Eze • 1 min read

I DID NOT FORCE NNPC BOSS, OJULARI, TO RESIGN – EFCC CHAIR, OLUKOYEDE

The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, has denied that he forced Bayo Ojulari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, to resign.

Olukoyede was reacting to reports which claimed that he and Adeola Ajayi, the Director General of the Department of State Services, DSS, pressured Ojulari into signing a resignation letter during a closed-door meeting in Abuja.

It also alleged Ojulari was interrogated over his purported links to British-Nigerian oil mogul, Olatimbo Ayinde, who is reportedly close to key figures in the present administration.

In a statement on Wednesday, EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale said Olukoyede, through his lawyer Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), described the reports as defamatory and injurious to his integrity.

“The publications and the imputations conveyed by them are so damning and cannot be ignored or treated with levity,” the statement quoted.

It added that Olukoyede has not betrayed 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.”

The EFCC chairman has now demanded an official apology and complete removal of the story from the outlet’s digital platforms within 48 hours, threatening a lawsuit.

Dons Eze

DONS EZE, PhD, Political Philosopher and Journalist of over four decades standing, worked in several newspaper houses across the country, and rose to the positions of Editor and General Manager. A UNESCO Fellow in Journalism, Dr. Dons Eze, a prolific writer and author of many books, attended several courses on Journalism and Communication in both Nigeria and overseas, including a Postgraduate Course on Journalism at Warsaw, Poland; Strategic Communication and Practical Communication Approach at RIPA International, London, the United Kingdom, among others.