Omoyele Sowore Says EFCC Should Replace Its Eagle With a Dove, Accuses Agency of Losing Bite Against Corruption

Human rights activist and Sahara Reporters founder, Omoyele Sowore, has launched a fresh attack on Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), accusing it of abandoning its original mission of tackling high-level corruption.

In a blistering remark that has sparked debate on social media, Sowore said: “The EFCC Chairman knows it’s time to replace the eagle in the EFCC logo with a dove.” The eagle, a long-time symbol of vigilance and strength, was deliberately chosen when the agency was established in 2003. For Sowore, suggesting a dove—a universal emblem of peace—amounts to declaring the EFCC toothless, more at ease with symbolic gestures than genuine enforcement.

The activist’s criticism taps into a long-running narrative about the EFCC’s struggle with political interference. Over the years, the commission has enjoyed moments of bold action but has often been accused of selective prosecution, going after small-time fraudsters while the politically connected escape scrutiny. The ouster of former EFCC chairman Ibrahim Magu in 2020, amid accusations of internal corruption and power struggles, remains one of the clearest signs of institutional fragility.

Sowore’s claim that the EFCC has been “captured” by the very political elite it was designed to investigate reflects mounting public frustration. For many Nigerians, the agency once symbolized hope in the fight against financial crimes, from 419 scams to billion-naira oil deals. But in 2025, that hope appears dimmer, as high-profile cases languish in court while convictions are few and far between.

Since its creation under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the EFCC has faced wave after wave of leadership turnover, legislative bottlenecks, and accusations of being used as a political tool against opposition figures. Critics argue that until the agency achieves true independence, corruption will remain entrenched in Nigeria’s political bloodstream.

By invoking the imagery of an eagle turned dove, Sowore has distilled a complex institutional failure into a single, biting metaphor—one that resonates deeply in a country where citizens increasingly doubt whether their anti-graft watchdog is still capable of biting at all.

Watch the video below