The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered Aisha Achimugu, the widow of the late Suleiman Achimugu, former Managing Director of the Pipeline and Product Marketing Company (PPMC), to honour the invitation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday, 29 April 2025, over an ongoing investigation.
Justice I.E. Ekwo further directed that she must appear before the court on Wednesday, 30 April 2025.
The order was made in a ruling delivered on Monday, 28 April 2025, in respect of a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/626/2025, 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).
Aisha Achimugu, the widow of the late Suleiman Achimugu, who served as Managing Director of PPMC and was Nigeria’s first recorded COVID-19 fatality in March 2020, is a businesswoman and the Chief Executive Officer of Felak Concept Group.
She is also known to be an ally of Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
In its response to Achimugu’s application, EFCC’s counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, informed the court of a counter-affidavit deposed to by one of its investigators, Chris Odofin, outlining the circumstances leading to her invitation.
In the affidavit, Odofin disclosed that Achimugu is 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.”
Achimugu had initially honoured the Commission’s invitation on 12 February 2024, during which she made a written statement and was subsequently granted administrative bail through her lawyer and surety, Darlington N. Ozurumba.
However, she allegedly 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 N8.71 billion into her corporate bank accounts as an “investment fund” for the acquisition of an oil block.
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).
Further investigation indicated that Achimugu’s company actually acquired two oil blocks, Shallow Water PPL 3007 and Deep Offshore PPL 302-DO, at the cost of $25.3million.
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 EFCC stressed that Achimugu’s current suit is “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.
Following the dismissal of the earlier suit, the EFCC continued its investigation by dispatching inquiry letters to various banks and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Land Authorities, the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering, and the Central Bank of Nigeria, while analysing the responses received.
The affidavit also revealed that the applicant operates a total of “one hundred and thirty-six (136) bank accounts across ten different banks both in her personal and corporate names.”
The case is scheduled to continue on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (SaharaReporters)
