EFCC

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested a renowned business executive and socialite, Aisha Sulaiman Achimugu.

Her legal team made this known in a statement on Tuesday, emphasizing that Achimugu, who arrived voluntarily into the country from London, was arrested around 5 a.m. on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, her lawyer had reportedly told the Federal High Court in Abuja that she had already stated in her court documents that she would visit the EFCC today in connection with its ongoing investigation into an alleged case of criminal conspiracy and money laundering.

Leading reporters gathered that Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, ordered Achimugu to appear before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, to respond to allegations related to an ongoing investigation.

The court also directed that she must be present before it on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, to continue proceedings in the matter.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, chairman, Olanipekun Olukoyede on Thursday disclosed how he turned down offers from government officials amounting to N500m during his mother’s funeral in 2019.

The EFCC boss, who spoke at the 38th Anti-Corruption Situation Room in Abuja, explained that the substantial gifts, which included cheques and drafts, were sent to him by ministers, directors, MDAs and other high-ranking government officials.

Olukoyede noted that he was serving as the Secretary of the commission at the time he buried his mother.

Recounting how he received the offers, Olukoyede narrated that upon his return to his family home in Ekiti State prior to the burial, his gate man presented those checks to him.

According to him, after reviewing the cheques, he decided to return them.

The EFCC chairman narrated, “I lost my mother in the year 2019 (in Ekiti State). We went for the funeral. I was the secretary of the EFCC then. People came. So I went to my place a day before the funeral service.

By the time I got to my small compound, which I built several years ago before I joined the EFCC, I saw about 17 cows in my compound, including pregnant ones.

“When I got home, my gate man presented a box to me and inside it, I saw so many cheques and drafts from ministers, permanent secretaries, directors, DGs of agencies, etc.

“And so, I went in and showed it to my wife. She said, ‘Praise God’. I said, ‘Praise God for what?’ By the time we put all the cheques together, it counted close to N500m.

I did the burial in September 2019. By July 2020, I was under investigation. Now, assuming all those cheques were paid into my account as traditional gifts and some of the MDAs that we were investigating in the EFCC, some of their directors and their DGs and their ministers sent cheques to me.

“Ordinarily, I mean for burial, some gave me one million, N20m and all of that. Even though that would not have influenced my decision if I was in a position to determine what would happen to their investigations, how would I have explained before a panel that they saw cheques paid into my account?”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has invited two sons of Billionaire industralist, Rasaq Okoya over a viral video showing them abusing the Naira.

Wahab and Subomi went viral last week after a video emerged showing them spraying naira notes from bundles of cash held by their police escort. The video generated outrage on Social Media.

LEADING REPORTERS learned that the invote extended to the brothers was signed by one Micheal Wetkas.

On January 10, the spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Muyiwa Adejobi, announced that the officer seen in the video had been arrested and detained. He added that the officer would face serious disciplinary actions for unethical behaviour.

“The policeman captured in the recent viral video shared by the sons of the Lagos businessman, Chief Okoya, where they were abusing the naira, has been identified and detained for disciplinary action,” Adejobi wrote on X.

“The involvement of the policeman has been condemned, as it’s unethical. We will always strive hard to uphold the sanctity, credibility, and core values of the police.”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has dismissed 27 of its personnel from workforce.

This was contained in a statement by the Commission’s spokesman, Dele Oyewale, on Monday in Abuja

Oyewale said the officers were dismissed for various offenses bordering on fraudulent activities and misconduct.

The commission, however, did not disclose the identity of the fired officers.

According to him, their dismissal followed the recommendation of the Staff Disciplinary Committee of the EFCC, and the ratification by the Chairman of the agency, Ola Olukoyede.

“Every modicum of allegation against any staff of the Commission would always be investigated, including a trending $400,000 claim of a yet-to-be-identified supposed staff of the EFCC against a Sectional Head.

The commission, however, did not disclose the identity of the fired officers.

According to him, their dismissal followed the recommendation of the Staff Disciplinary Committee of the EFCC, and the ratification by the Chairman of the agency, Ola Olukoyede.

“Every modicum of allegation against any staff of the Commission would always be investigated, including a trending $400,000 claim of a yet-to-be-identified supposed staff of the EFCC against a Sectional Head.

“The core values of the Commission are sacrosanct and would always be held in optimal regard at all times,” the statement partly read.

The anti-graft agency also alerted the public to the sinister activities of impersonators and blackmailers using the name of its chairman to extort money from high-profile suspects.

“Two members of an alleged syndicate, Ojobo Joshua and Aliyu Hashim were recently arraigned before Justice Jude Onwuebuzie of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Abuja for allegedly contacting a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Mr. Mohammed Bello-Kaka and demanding $1million from him for “Olukoyede to give him soft landing” on a non-existing investigation. Such characters are still on the loose seeking victims.

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested the Accountant General of Delta State, Mrs. Joy Enwa, as part of the commission’s ongoing investigation into the alleged diversion of N1.3 trillion state funds linked to former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.

The EFCC is investigating the alleged diversion of the 13 percent derivation fund earmarked for oil-rich states, which was said to have been looted by Okowa during his tenure as governor.

The former governor was arrested and detained by the EFCC in November this year for his alleged role in the diversion of the funds.

Okowa was taken into custody at the Port Harcourt division of the anti-graft office. He was alleged to have used his office as governor to acquire assets up to N1.3 trillion, including shares in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Company, among other investments in the oil sector.

Investigation into the alleged diversion of the funds is ongoing, with several individuals, including the Accountant General of Delta State, Mrs. Joy Enwa, and one Ekeruche, former director of finance and administration (DFA) and the director of administration, Government House, already arrested and detained for questioning.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has addressed public speculation surrounding the ownership of a massive estate recently forfeited to the Federal Government.

The property, comprising 753 duplexes and apartments, is located in Plot 109, Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Abuja.

Responding to activist Omoyele Sowore’s claims of a “cover-up,” the EFCC clarified that the forfeiture proceedings adhered strictly to Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act.

“The EFCC noted that investigations revealed the alleged owners disassociated themselves from the estate, prompting the court to issue a final forfeiture order.

“The allegation of a cover-up of the identity of the promoters of the Estate stands logic on the head in the sense that the proceedings for the forfeiture of the Estate were in line with Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act which is a civil proceeding that allows for action-in-rem rather than action-in-personam.

“The latter allows legal actions against a property and not an individual, especially in a situation of an unclaimed property. This Act allows you to take up a forfeiture proceeding against a chattel that is not a juristic person. This is exactly what the Commission did in respect of the Estate.

“The proceedings that yielded the final forfeiture of the Estate were products of actionable intelligence available to the Commission. The company flagged by our investigations denied ownership of the Estate following publications made in leading national newspapers.

“On the basis of this, the Commission approached the court for an order of final forfeiture which Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court granted on Monday, December 2, 2024,” the commission stated.

The EFCC further emphasized that substantive criminal investigations are ongoing and dismissed accusations of shielding individuals behind the estate.