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Justice, Ekwo from the Federal High Court, Abuja, has mandated a woman of businessman Aisha Achimugu to appear before the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to be questioned on Tuesday during the day, in connection with an ongoing investigation.
In his decision on Monday, Judge Ekwo further directed EFCC to bring Achimugu back to court on Wednesday to provide an update after his appearance at their office.
This order emerged from the application by Achimugu’s legal representative, Kaninde Ogunwumiju, San, who sought a court order to protect his client from the potential for detention or harassment by EFCC, giving his willingness to cooperate with the commission investigation by respecting their invitation.
Ripples Nigeria reported that the previous Judge Ekwo, on April 11, instructed EFCC and five other security institutions to submit their defense in the lawsuit initiated by Achimugu which aims to prevent the arrest and detention of anticipated. Other institutions mentioned in the Achimugu Fundamental Rights Enforcement Lawsuit include the Nigerian Police, Independent Corruption Practices and other related Violation Commissions (ICPC), State Security Services (SSS), Nigerian Civil Service Corps (NSCDC), and Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS).
The judge had issued this previous direction after Ogunwumiju told the court that even though it was served with an order to explain why Achimugu’s request should not be given, no respondents appeared in court as instructed.
Achimugu, identified as industrialist, has submitted an ex-party motion, marked by FHC/ABJ/CS/626/2025, calling NPF, ICPC, and SSS as the first respondent of the third. Through his lawyer, he also included EFCC, NSCDC, and NIS respectively as the fourth to sixth respondents, in the date motion and submitted on April 3.
In his request, Achimugu sought a temporary order to hold the respondent from threatening or harassing him with the arrest, detention, property invasion, or inhibiting his fundamental rights for freedom of movement, freedom, privacy, and property, among other concerns.
Presenting ten reasons for his request, Achimugu highlighted that EFCC had stated it was sought on March 28. He argues that this declaration is unreasonable, cannot be justified, has no possible causes, and is deliberately intended to discredit, embarrass, and make him ridicule, cause damage that cannot be repaired on reputation, personal dignity, and professional position.
During the previous trial on April 11, Judge Ekwo gave the respondents the last opportunity to perform and justify why the reliefs sought by Achimugu should not be given, presenting the case until Monday for the trial.
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When the problem was brought to court on Monday, ICPC, SSS, EFCC, and NIS had legal representatives.
Ogunwumiju told the court that the hearing was scheduled to be shown by the respondent. He noted that the respondents had served their contra and their applications for extra time on Friday. He also stated that they had not received any process from the police, NSCDC, and NIS (the first, fifth, and sixth respondents).
Ogunwumiju indicates that Achimugu is scheduled to return to Nigeria on Tuesday and will report to the EFCC office at 12 noon. He expressed his hope that respondents would submit their responses on time for everything that would be overcome that day.
However, Ogunwumiju did not mind the motion for an extension of time to submit their process, as moved by legal advisors for ICPC, Go Ndieze, and legal advisers for EFCC, Ekele Iheanacho, San, and the court granted this extension.
Ogunwumiju then attracted the attention of the court to “uncontrolled fact.” He showed that in a written statement supporting their origin process, Achimugu had explicitly stated his intention to return and attend an interview with EFCC on April 29, specifically referring to paragraph 61 in which he indicated “his willingness to work together with an investigation.”
The lawyer further notes that in EFCC’s written statement to show the cause, the commission itself was recognized in paragraph 9 and 10 that his client had previously been given administrative guarantees. Based on this, Ogunwumiju urged the court to order his client to return on Tuesday, report to EFCC, and continue in the same guarantee condition. “We will ask for orders to hold the respondent from harassing him. I refer to the court to paragraph 52 of the Affidavit counter by the 4th respondent (EFCC). This shows that he enjoyed the guarantee. We want the court to give orders to protect him. We urge the court to consider that he comes with his son, who has special needs,”
Iheanacho, representing EFCC, opposed the application of Ogunwumiju. He argues that the Achimugu application is speculative because his rights have not been violated. The lawyer further argues that Achimugu has violated the administrative guarantee provisions. “We have invited the Petitioner and he refused to come. We wrote to him to come and he refused to come,” he said.
Judge Ekwo, however, directed Iheanacho to limit his argument to the movement of former parties where they had to show the cause. We are not talking about substantive material now, what they see is so that you show the reasons why the application he has prayed for. The calculation learned for the applicant has shown you in your own average in the thing you say, I will not say that you will not say it, I will not say it, I will not say it, I do not have a controversy if the applicant tells you. This average, “said the judge.
Responding to, Iheanacho stated that the Achimugu application does not have services because their rights are not violated.
“The current situation is that the applicant comes to you. If the applicant comes to you, he has given up,” the judge said.
“If the applicant comes, we will take it from there. The application before the court has no time,” Iheanacho answered.
Ogunwumiju then asked for a postponement until Wednesday to enable the withdrawal of the lawsuit if his client was allowed to continue with guarantee.
After hearing the argument of the two legal teams, Judge Ekwo issued his order: “The 4th respondent requires the Petitioner to appear before them to assist in the investigation process, which is the constitutional obligation of the 4th respondent.
In his written statement to show the cause, EFCC detailed its investigation of Achimugu’s financial activities. The commission stated that on February 12, 2024, during an interview with Achimugu and his lawyer, Darlington Ozurumba, Achimugu gave a statement that explained large funds that had passed the company’s bank account.
According to EFCC, Achimugu acknowledged that a number of ₦ 8,710,000,000.00 paid by his partners as investment funds for the purchase and payment of the signature bonus for the acquisition of the oil block on November 8, 2022.
Further investigations, the Commission accused, revealed that Achimugu, through its company, Ocean Gate Engineering Oil and Gas Limited, acquired two oil blocks, shallow water-PPL 3007 and offshores which were 302-DO, with a total of $ 25,300,000, especially through cash payments to companies made by federal de Bureau de Change.
The EFCC Alleged that “The Ultimate Sources of the Said Sum of $ 25,300,000 used in the acquisition of the oil blocs was not linking to her lawful earnings or income or any business partners” and that “the acquisition of the oil blocks was marred by corrupt practice Officials of the Nigerian UpStream Petroly Regulatory Commission in the Process. ” The commission also noted that “There is no oil block assigned/allocated to Ocean Gate’s oil and gas engineering which is limited by the Nigerian upstream oil commission has begun exploration/production from the beginning to date.”
The Anti-Corruption Agency further stated that following the court’s decision in the previous lawsuit filed by Achimugu (Lawsuit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/451/2024) which was dismissed, the Commission continued its investigation, sending letters to various government institutions, including FIR and CBN. This further investigation allegedly revealed that Achimugu operates a total of 136 bank accounts in ten different banks, both in personal names and companies.
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