Alleged Money Laundering: Achimugu Surrenders to EFCC After Court Order

•Agency arrests Lagos socialite, E-Money, for allegedly violating currency regulations

Alex Enumah in Abuja

A renowned businesswoman and socialite, Aisha Sulaiman Achimugu, yesterday, surrendered to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Achimugu, according to her lawyers, submitted herself to EFCC around 5am, shortly after she voluntarily arrived Nigeria from London.

Her arrival was sequel to an order of a Federal High Court, Abuja, which had ordered her to appear before EFCC yesterday, April 29, 2025, to respond to allegations related to an ongoing investigation.

The anti-graft agency had declared the businesswoman wanted over alleged money laundering and fraud.

But her lawyer had informed the court that she would visit EFCC today, Tuesday, in connection with its ongoing investigation into an alleged case of criminal conspiracy and money laundering.

Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had in a short ruling on Monday, ordered Achimugu to present herself to the commission in respect of a case of money laundering involving her.

Ekwo also directed that Achimugu must be present before his court on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, to continue proceedings in the matter.

The judge gave the directive while delivering ruling in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/626/2025, filed by Achimugu against several law enforcement agencies, including the Nigeria Police, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Department of State Services (DSS), EFCC, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

However, EFCC, through its lead counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, informed 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.

Achimugu had initially honoured the commission’s 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.

But she was said to have failed to report back as agreed, choosing instead to file a fundamental rights enforcement suit against the commission.

In the counter affidavit filed against the businesswoman’s suit, the anti-graft agency disclosed that Achimugu, in her statement, explained that the inflow of N8.71 billion into her corporate bank accounts was 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 investigations, according to the commission, showed 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.

The lawyer said investigations further revealed 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. He stated that the acquisition process was fraught with corruption.

The anti-graft agency described Achimugu’s current suit as 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, EFCC continued its investigation by dispatching inquiry letters to various banks and the Corporate Affairs Commission(CAC), Federal Inland Revenue Services, Land Authorities, Special Control Unit against Money Laundering, Central Bank of Nigeria, to gather more evidence.

In a related development, a popular Lagos socialite, Emeka Okonkwo Daniel, also known as E-Money, was grilled by operatives of EFCC for allegedly violating the country’s currency regulations.

E-Money was arrested on Monday night at his residence in the Omole area of Lagos for allegedly spraying U.S. dollars at a public event, an act said to be in violation of the Foreign Exchange Act and an abuse of the Naira.

Shortly after his arrest, he was said to have been flown to Abuja for further interrogation and would be charged accordingly if found to have been in breach of the currency laws.

“Yes, he is in our custody and is being interrogated by our investigators,” a source at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja confirmed to our correspondent on Tuesday.

The source added that investigations would be concluded before the anti-graft agency would know the next line of action.