The socialite, Aisha Achimugu, linked to Lagos governor Sanwo-Olu, has been on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s raider for money laundering.
On Tuesday, the EFCC arrested Ms Achimugu, at the airport in Abuja.
Earlier, the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, ordered Ms Achimugu to appear before the EFCC for an ongoing investigation into alleged criminal conspiracy and money laundering. Justice I.E. Ekwo, who gave the order in a ruling delivered on Monday, directed Ms Achimugu to appear before the EFCC on Tuesday and before the court on Wednesday.
EFCC’s counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, in responding to Ms Achimugu’s application on Monday, told the court that a counter-affidavit was deposed by one of its investigators, Chris Odofin, detailing the reasons and circumstances leading to her invitation.
Although the EFCC said Ms Achimugu had initially honoured the EFCC’s invitation earlier on February 12, 2024, in which she made a written statement and was granted administrative bail through her lawyer and surety, Darlington N. Ozurumba.
However, she failed to report back at the EFCC as earlier agreed, instead she filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit against the anti-graft agency.
The ruling was delivered in a suit FHC/ABJ/CS/626/2025, filed by Ms Achimugu against several law enforcement agencies, including the EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, the Nigeria Police Force, State Security Service, the Nigeria Security, Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Immigration Service.
In Ms Achimugu application, the accused explained the inflow of N8.71 billion into her corporate bank accounts as an “investment fund” for acquisition of an oil block.
Further, she stated the funds were transferred to the Federal Government’s account through her company, Oceangate Engineering Oil and Gas Limited, referencing documentation from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC.
But the EFCC’s counter-affidavit and investigation shows that Ms Achimugu’s company acquired two oil blocks, Shallow Water PPL 3007 and Deep Offshore PPL 302-DO, for $25.3 million. The payments were allegedly made in cash via bureau de change operators, which indicates that the real sources of the funds could not be traced to any legitimate business income.
EFCC further stated that Ms Achimugu’s current suit is an attempt to frustrate the ongoing investigation, despite a previous court decision in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/451/2024 dismissing her claim of alleged fundamental rights violations.
