Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, has charged council chairpersons with being accountable to the people, reminding them they enjoy no immunity.

Speaking at the Gombe State Local Government Summit on Wednesday, Mr Olukoyede urged LG bosses to be prudent with the funds at their disposal.

“Local government chairmen do not have immunity, and we are not going to wait until you finish your tenure to come after you,” the anti-graft boss noted.

Mr Olukoyede accused local governments of being “caricatures existing only in name”, lamenting the endemic poverty and stagnant development in rural areas despite resources allocated to the rural communities over the years.

“The impacts of these resources are not felt by the people living in these areas. Councils, instead of becoming catalysts of growth, have become caricatures existing only in name,” he noted.

Announcing the establishment of a Fraud Risk Assessment and Control Department, the anti-graft boss recommended the need for a compliance unit to assist the agency in monitoring the use of resources and the delivery of projects in rural areas.

“EFCC will be paying you visits occasionally to monitor how you are using the funds. We will come in the evening. Sometimes, you may even be seeing us in your dreams,” Mr Olukoyede added.