Court orders EFCC to release Aisha Achimugu within 24 hours

The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a decisive order to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), mandating the immediate release of socialite and businesswoman Aisha Achimugu within the next 24 hours.

Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a brief ruling delivered on Wednesday, further directed all parties involved in the suit, particularly the EFCC, to appear before the court on May 2, 2025, to report on their compliance with this order.

This ruling follows Justice Ekwo’s previous directive on Monday, which instructed Achimugu to present herself to the EFCC in connection with an ongoing investigation into allegations of money laundering and other offenses. The Monday order also stipulated that after her appearance at the EFCC office, the anti-graft agency was to accompany her back to court on Wednesday, April 30th, for a progress report.

However, Achimugu was apprehended by EFCC operatives at 5 am on Tuesday upon her arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, a move that has now been countered by the court’s release order.

The EFCC’s investigation against Achimugu encompasses allegations of conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretense, money laundering, corruption, and possession of properties reasonably suspected to have been unlawfully obtained.

While Achimugu had been previously arrested and questioned by the EFCC before being granted administrative bail, the commission later alleged that she absconded, leading to her being declared wanted.

In a public statement, the EFCC had urged citizens to provide any information regarding Achimugu’s whereabouts, stating, “The public is hereby notified that AISHA SULAIMAN ACHIMUGU is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in an alleged case of criminal conspiracy and money laundering.”

The EFCC, in its affidavit to show cause, detailed that during a prior arrest on February 12, 2024, Achimugu, in the presence of her lawyer, Darlington Ozurumba, provided a statement explaining substantial financial transactions through her corporate bank accounts.

According to the commission, Achimugu admitted that ₦8,710,000,000.00 was paid by her partners as an investment for the acquisition of an oil bloc on November 8, 2022.

However, the EFCC’s further investigation reportedly revealed that Achimugu, through her company, Ocean Gate Engineering Oil and Gas Limited, acquired two oil blocs for a total of $25,300,000, primarily through cash payments to Bureau De Change operators who then transferred the funds to the Federal Government via corporate accounts.

The commission alleged that “the ultimate sources of the said sum of $25,300,000 used in the acquisition of the oil blocs were not linked to her lawful earnings or income or any business partner.” They further claimed that “the acquisition of the Oil Blocks was marred by corrupt practices, as bribes were paid to the officials of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission in the process” and that “none of the Oil Blocks assigned/allocated to Ocean Gate Engineering Oil and Gas Limited by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Commission has commenced exploration/production from inception to date.”

The anti-graft agency also stated that following a court decision dismissing a previous suit filed by Achimugu, they continued their investigation, reaching out to government agencies like the FIRS and CBN. This further investigation allegedly uncovered that Achimugu operates a total of 136 bank accounts across ten different banks, both personally and through her companies.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now