Justice I.E. Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has ordered businesswoman Aisha Achimugu to appear before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday, in connection with an ongoing investigation.
The judge also directed that Achimugu must appear before the court on Wednesday.
The order was made on Monday during proceedings on a suit filed by Achimugu against several law enforcement agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Department of State Services (DSS), the EFCC, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
The suit is marked FHC/ABJ/CS/626/2025.
Responding to Achimugu’s application, EFCC’s counsel Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, presented a counter-affidavit deposed to by one of the Commission’s investigators, Chris Odofin.
In the affidavit, Odofin disclosed that Achimugu is being investigated for alleged conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence, money laundering, corruption and possession of property suspected to have been acquired through unlawful means.
According to the EFCC, Achimugu initially honoured an invitation to its office on February 12, 2024, where she made a written statement and was released on administrative bail through her lawyer and surety, Darlington N. Ozurumba.
However, she allegedly failed to return as agreed, opting instead to file a fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Commission.
Further investigations revealed that Achimugu’s company allegedly acquired two oil blocks, Shallow Water PPL 3007 and Deep Offshore PPL 302-DO, for $25.3 million.
The EFCC stated that the payments were made in cash through bureau de change operators and that the origin of the funds could not be linked to any legitimate business operations. The Commission also alleged that the acquisition process was riddled with corruption.
Despite the acquisition, neither of the oil blocks had commenced exploration or production as of the time of investigation.
The anti-graft agency described Achimugu’s suit as a deliberate attempt to frustrate its investigation, noting that a previous fundamental rights suit she filed — marked FHC/ABJ/CS/451/2024 — had already been dismissed by the court.
Following the dismissal, the EFCC said it intensified its investigation by sending inquiry letters to banks, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), land authorities, the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to gather more evidence.
The affidavit also revealed that Achimugu operates 136 bank accounts across ten different banks, both in her personal name and those of her companies.
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