₦airaland Forum

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to within 24 hours, release from its detention facility, a business woman and socialite, Aisha Achimugu.

In a ruling he delivered on Wednesday, Justice Inyang Ekwo held that she should be freed on the same terms of an administrative bail the anti-graft agency earlier granted to her.

The order came barely 24 hours after Achimugu was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport by EFCC operatives.

Justice Ekwo ordered the parties, including the EFCC, to return to the court on Friday to give a report on compliance to the order.

The ruling came on a day the EFCC, in compliance with an order the trial judge made last Monday, produced the embattled lady who was previously declared wanted, before the court.

The anti-graft agency had in a counter-affidavit that was deposed to by one of its investigators, Mr. Chris Odofin, outlined the circumstances that led to its actions against the detainee.

It told the court that Achimugu was under investigation for alleged conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence, money laundering, corruption and possession of property reasonably suspected to have been acquired through unlawful means.

The affidavit was in respect of a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/626/2025, which Achimugu filed to stop 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, from arresting her.

According to the EFCC, Achimugu had initially honoured its invitation on February 12, 2024, during which she made a written statement and was subsequently granted administrative bail through her lawyer and surety, Darlington N. Ozurumba.

It however alleged that she failed to report back as agreed, choosing instead to file a fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Commission.

The affidavit further revealed that Achimugu, in her statement, explained the inflow of N8.71billion into her corporate bank accounts as an ” investment fund” for the acquisition of an oil block.

EFCC alleged that she claimed 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.

More so, it told the court that the applicant operated a total of 136 bank accounts across ten different banks, both in her personal and corporate names.

According to the EFCC: “Further investigation in the affidavit however, indicated that Achimugu’s company actually acquired two oil blocks, Shallow Water PPL 3007 and Deep Offshore PPL 302-DO at the cost of $25.3 million.

“Investigations showed that the payments were allegedly made in cash via bureau de change operators and that the ultimate sources of the funds could not be traced to any legitimate business income or partnerships.”

The Commission alleged that the acquisition process was fraught with corruption, adding that “despite the acquisition, neither of the two oil blocks had commenced exploration or production as of the time of investigation.”

The EFCC insisted that the legal action Achimugu initiated against it and other security agencies was “a calculated attempt to frustrate the ongoing investigation, despite a previous court decision in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/451/2024 dismissing her claim of fundamental rights violations.”

Pluto33:
The man is active though not as he used to be when he first assumed the office. He was vocal and always going after the cabal in his Ministry (particularly Nigerian Immigration Service over passport issues), till they came after him with that scandal about him having interest in a company that enjoyed contract from the former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betty Edu.

The scandal affected him so much that he virtually "disappeared" and stopped championing good reforms. He is gradually coming back...

Abia State Governor,Dr. Alex Otti, has said he is not bothered about what he described as the noise being made by members of the opposition party in the State.

Otti stated this while receiving a delegation of the member representing Bende North State Constituency, Hon. Nnamdi Ibekwe, who recently dumped the PDP and joined the ruling Labour Party.


The Governor explained that some of the opposition members who make noise about coming to contest elections do not actually mean to run in elections but seek either recognition, negotiation or projection,and should not be taken seriously.

He said; “We are not bothered about the opposition and their noise. There are different reasons why people show up for elections. Sometimes, they just want recognition; that their names showed up for the primaries, knowing fully well that they will not win the election.

“Some of them also come for negotiations and then of course, some others also show up for projections; they look at themselves and say, ‘if I start the noise in 2025, maybe by 2040, they will know that I have been in the race and they will call me and recognize me’, so they are projecting themselves.”

Otti assured that that he is focused on doing the job the people elected him to do and will respond to the noise of the opposition with the works he is doing across the State.

“People are making noise but I respond with work. We are very committed to the job that our people asked us to do. We are doing just that.

“For us, governance is about stewardship and leadership. And that is what is keeping us here.”

While congratulating Hon. Nnamdi Ibekwe for his bold decision to leave his former party to join him in the Labour Party,noted that nobody pressurised him to leave his party, stressing that leaving his former party was his voluntary decision.

He also stated that his government does not emphasize much on political platforms in governance but rather pays attention to delivering good governance to the people.


The Governor added that the Labour Party does not discriminate, stressing that as the lawmaker has joined, he has become a ranking member of the Labour Party as an official reception would be later organized for him.

Earlier, the member representing Bende North State Constituency, Hon. Nnamdi Ibekwe disclosed that he was attracted to the Labour Party by the achievements of Governor which he described as unprecedented.

Ibekwe, who stated that, this is the best time for Abia people, pledged that he and his supporters are solidly behind the Governor’s 2027 re-election bid.

Yorubaskullmine:
The funny thing of this thread is that the op’s unsolicited advice starts and ends here.
Empty vessels that make the loudest noise.

APCNig:
We humiliated you at the elections in 1993, 2015, 2019, 2023, so who is convulsing! Definitely it is the losers, winners rejoice while losers weep

jamafa:
It was obvious that Peter Obi was incompetent but U guys accepted him 😂


Now U want to force him on us. It will never happen.

Paramount01:
Pls you mean you know this but still decides to follow him

ProudlyLagos:
we can see how competent bitter obi is in taking tiny Anambala out of poverty 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Bhella5:
Tunde knows how to operate the mumu button of awa blodas from the other side

xareal:
All these shamelessness because of efcc 1trillon probe

YourKarma:
Tinubu can not win in a free and fair election against a stone

EmeeNaka:
Admitting operating IPOB. IPOB is blacklisted as a terrorist organization, yet you continue to use the group to massacre Igbo men and women and Nigerian security forces.