The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered Aisha Achimugu, a known associate of Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to appear before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) amid an ongoing investigation into alleged criminal conspiracy and money laundering.
Justice I.E. Ekwo, delivering the ruling on Monday, directed Ms Achimugu to report to the EFCC on Tuesday and appear before the court on Wednesday.
The ruling followed a lawsuit filed by Ms Achimugu against several security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the State Security Service (SSS), the EFCC, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS). Her suit is registered as FHC/ABJ/CS/626/2025.
The EFCC had declared Ms Achimugu wanted last month over allegations that public funds were funneled through her to support opposition politicians Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party.
In court, EFCC lawyer Ekele Iheanacho referenced a counter-affidavit filed by an investigator, Chris Odofin, outlining the agency’s justification for summoning her.
The commission stated that Ms Achimugu initially honored an invitation on February 12, 2024, made a written statement, and was released on administrative bail.
However, they alleged she later failed to meet her bail conditions and instead filed a suit to halt the investigation.
Defending herself, Ms Achimugu said the N8.71 billion credited to her corporate accounts represented investment funds for the acquisition of an oil block, asserting that the money was transferred to the Federal Government through her company, Oceangate Engineering Oil and Gas Limited, with supporting documentation from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
Contradicting her claims, the EFCC disclosed that Oceangate had acquired two oil blocks, Shallow Water PPL 3007 and Deep Offshore PPL 302-DO, at a cost of $25.3 million, mostly paid through cash transactions with bureau de change operators.
The commission said the true origin of the funds remains unverified and cannot be linked to any legitimate business operations.
Further investigation revealed that Ms Achimugu operates 136 bank accounts across ten banks, in both her personal and company names.
The EFCC described her lawsuit as an attempt to frustrate the investigation, recalling that a previous court ruling under suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/451/2024 had already dismissed similar claims.
Ms Achimugu is expected to appear before the EFCC on Tuesday and in court on Wednesday as proceedings continue.
