Businesswoman Aisha Achimugu to honour EFCC invitation by court order
Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has ordered Aisha Achimugu to appear before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on April 29, 2025, to answer questions pertaining to the ongoing investigation. The court further ordered that Achimugu be present on April 30, 2025.
An EFCC statement issued by spokesman Dele Oyewale said the occurrence was founded on Achimugu’s action against numerous law enforcement agencies, such as Nigeria Police Force, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Department of State Services (DSS), EFCC, Nigeria Security Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), and Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS).
During the proceedings, EFCC counsel Ekele Iheanacho presented a counter-affidavit sworn by one of its investigators, Chris Odofin, detailing the circumstances of the invitation of Achimugu.
In the said affidavit, Odofin stated that Achimugu was under investigation for alleged conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretenses, money laundering, corruption, and possession of property reasonably suspected to have been acquired through unlawful means.
The EFCC stated that Achimugu had honored the Commission’s invitation on February 12, 2024, during which her statement was recorded and administrative bail was granted to her, through her lawyer and surety, Darlington N. Ozurumba, but she allegedly breached the bail terms and went ahead to file a fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Commission.
The affidavit further states that Achimugu explained that the N8.71 billion inflow into her corporate bank accounts was an “investment fund” for the acquisition of an oil block, because, according to her, the funds were transferred, through her company, Oceangate Engineering Oil and Gas Limited, to a Federal Government account and were supported by documentation from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
However, further investigations revealed that Oceangate Engineering acquired two oil blocks, Shallow Water PPL 3007 and Deep Offshore PPL 302-DO, at a total price of $25.3 million.
The Commission had alleged that the payments were made in cash, via bureau de change operators, and that the ultimate sources of the funds could not be traced to any legitimate business or partnerships; the EFCC also alleged the acquisition process was marred by corrupt practices, with barring of exploration or production on either of the blocks.
The Commission argued that Achimugu’s present suit was a ploy to derail its investigation, despite a competent court decision in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/451/2024 dismissing her claims of infringement on her fundamental rights. The EFCC further alleged that Achimugu runs 136 bank accounts in her personal and corporate name scattered across ten banks.
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[…] EFCC had previously declared Achimugu wanted in March following accusations of money laundering and criminal […]