Public Sentiment towards the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) on Facebook: A Sentiment Analysis of User Comments
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This study examined public sentiment towards the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Facebook, focusing on the distribution and contextual interpretation of comments on two selected enforcement-related posts. Anchored in Social Judgement Theory, the study adopted a quantitative content analysis design. The population comprised approximately 5,201 comments on posts concerning Blessing CEO’s arraignment and the alleged ₦110.4 billion fraud case involving Yahaya Bello. Using Yamane’s formula and proportionate allocation, 371 comments were selected through systematic sampling. Data were analysed using frequencies and percentages to classify comments as positive, negative, neutral, or mixed/ambiguous. The findings revealed that negative sentiment predominated across the sampled comments, although reactions differed between the two cases. Positive sentiment was more prevalent in comments on the Blessing CEO post, whereas negative sentiment dominated the Yahaya Bello discussion. Neutral and mixed/ambiguous comments further demonstrated the importance of contextual interpretation in understanding online expressions. The study concludes that public responses to EFCC communication may reflect differing expectations of justice, accountability and institutional credibility. Therefore, it recommends that the Commission strengthen transparent, timely and responsive digital engagement, clarify enforcement procedures, and address public concerns while respecting due process.
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