EFCC Suspends Top Prosecutor, Samuel Chime, Over Alleged Bribery to Sabotage Cases
SaharaReporters learned that the EFCC had formed a panel to investigate Chime after receiving multiple petitions from civil society groups, NGOs, and individuals accusing the prosecutor of serious misconduct and accepting bribes.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has suspended one of its leading prosecutors, Samuel Chime, after an investigative panel appointed by the commission’s chairman, Ola Olukoyede, found him guilty of accepting bribes to undermine cases.
SaharaReporters learned that the EFCC had organized a panel to examine Chime’s conduct following reports from various groups and individuals claiming misconduct and financial inducements.
Officials who spoke with SaharaReporters said Mr. Olukoyede was intensely displeased with Chime’s misconduct, warning that if left unaddressed, it could damage the agency’s reputation.
“Chime was suspended after an extensive internal investigation uncovered that he had compromised certain cases due to financial incentives,” an EFCC official familiar with the case said.
Another insider told SaharaReporters that “the commission might end up dismissing him, but he has been begging the chairman, pleading for leniency.”
Chime, a prominent figure in multiple high-profile cases and now at the center of a corruption scandal, has left significant marks not only on the cases he handled but also on the integrity of the EFCC as an anti-corruption agency.
This development has caused the EFCC to request delays in all ongoing cases he was managing, telling the courts that Chime had “proceeded on sick leave” to safeguard the agency’s reputation.
Chime was the lead prosecutor in several EFCC cases, including: EFCC v. Yakubu Adamu (Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance) and others at the Federal High Court in Abuja in December 2025; EFCC v. Yakubu Adamu, Balarabe A. Ilelah, Aminu M. Bose, and Kabiru Y. Mohammed at the same court also in December 2025; EFCC v. Godwin-Isaac and others (since 2024–ongoing at the Federal High Court, Abuja); EFCC v. Abubakar Ishaq, also known as “Mai-Rakumi,” in 2018 at the Federal High Court, Kano; EFCC v. Wasiu Rasak since 2019 at the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State; and EFCC v. Richard Uduma, alias Richard Dominic, in 2019 at the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt.
Chime also served as lead prosecutor for cases including: EFCC v. Aretuemhen Frank in 2019 at the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt; EFCC v. Robert Terfa Swem, alias “Ibrahim Magu,” in 2019 at the same court; EFCC v. Obrien N. Odiaka, also known as Steven Mark Anthony, in 2019; EFCC v. Ndume D. Baridol, aka “Aubrey Writes,” in 2019; and EFCC v. Eze O. Okwuchukwu and Eze O. Onyeka on December 24, 2020, at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
These cases underscore the extensive authority Chime wielded over EFCC prosecutions nationwide. However, such authority also carried significant responsibility, which Chime allegedly failed to meet.
Some petitions against Chime sent to the EFCC accused him of duplicating prosecutorial cases across different courts to hinder defendants, contrary to best international practices and EFCC policies.
Officials told SaharaReporters that other EFCC prosecutors are now reviewing both ongoing and closed cases managed by Chime, following Mr. Olukoyede’s directive.
