The EFCC faces heavy accusations of locking up citizens for up to 72 days to forcefully recover private business debts.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has come under heavy fire after detailed reports revealed that its officers are locking up citizens inside detention cells for as long as 72 days to forcefully recover private debts.
The disturbing report was exposed on Monday, September 7, 2026, following deep investigations into how officers handle private business disputes.
According to victim accounts and legal petitions, the anti graft agency’s facilities in cities like Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt are regularly used by powerful business owners, land vendors, and wealthy individuals to have their debtors arrested instead of taking them to civil court.
Many affected Nigerians spent months behind bars without formal trial or charge, suffering severe health problems while being forced to sign agreement papers to hand over land, houses, and money to pay off personal business transactions.
The main reason why this illegal practice keeps happening is that some corrupt officers inside the anti corruption agency use state security powers to act as private debt collectors in exchange for high percentage commissions.
Under Nigerian law and multiple Supreme Court rulings, civil contracts, land disagreements, and private money debts are strictly private matters that should be resolved in civil courts, not by police or financial crime officers.
However, wealthy complainants deliberately label simple debt defaults as “obtaining money by false pretences” or “fraud” so that officers can arrest the debtor, lock them up past the constitutional 24 hour limit, and freeze their bank accounts until they pay back the full amount.
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Human rights lawyers, civil society groups, and legal activists have condemned the trend, urging the government to punish officers who abuse their official powers.
Exposing the terrible suffering endured by victims of long detention, human rights campaigners raised serious concerns over citizens’ rights.
Detailing the illegal methods used inside security centers, investigative sources revealed that “suspects are frequently detained beyond the constitutionally permitted timeframe, with some spending up to 72 days in custody while being coerced to surrender personal property to settle civil disputes”.
Warning the agency to stick to its real job of fighting financial theft and public corruption, legal experts insisted that officers must follow court orders. Demanding urgent reform, legal advocates stressed that “the EFCC must cease acting as a debt recovery outfit for private individuals and focus strictly on investigating financial crimes as mandated by law”.
Nigerian courts have repeatedly fined security agencies millions of naira for illegal arrests and unlawful detentions linked to civil debt disputes.
Jennifer Baba is a journalist, international news correspondent, and writer at Moderncrux, where she covers artificial intelligence, fintech, emerging technologies, global politics, and international affairs. Based in Nigeria, she is passionate about transforming complex global developments into clear, engaging stories that inform and inspire readers.
