Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has narrated how a former Nigerian governor, who fled the country to evade arrest, was apprehended by London police after a bizarre incident in a hotel.

Speaking in Lagos on Friday at a stakeholder engagement focused on naira mutilation and financial crimes, Olukoyede recounted how the unnamed ex-governor escaped to the United Kingdom just a day after leaving office, in an apparent attempt to avoid prosecution by the EFCC.

According to the EFCC boss, the former governor—coincidentally celebrating his birthday in London—began spraying £50 and £10 notes at a hotel party, a move that startled the hotel’s management.

“The hotel manager, shocked by what he saw, assumed the man was mentally unstable and called emergency services,” Olukoyede said. “When the police arrived, they tried to restrain him and even prepared to take him away in an ambulance.”

It took the intervention of his associates—including two sitting Nigerian governors who were also in London for the party—to convince the Metropolitan Police that he was not mentally ill.

Olukoyede used the story to highlight both the extravagance and audacity of some Nigerian public officials, as well as the global reach of the EFCC’s anti-corruption drive.

He further revealed that the Commission is actively investigating 18 sitting governors across the country.

“We don’t wait until they leave office before we act,” he said. “As I speak, we are currently investigating about 18 serving governors. Once they are out of office, we’ll escalate the process.”

Olukoyede also warned that corrupt officials have become more sophisticated, with many now hiding stolen funds in digital assets such as cryptocurrencies.