Aisha Achimugu: Nigerian Businesswoman Talks About EFCC Challenges

I am calling for protection for my life and my children's lives. I want my privacy respected and an end to the misleading media trial against me and the companies I built over the years. I ask for the respect of court orders and the protection of over $100 million I have in the Oil and Gas industry and other sectors in Nigeria and abroad.

I am Aisha Achimugu (OFR), an accountant and a law-abiding Nigerian citizen. I was married to the late Engr. Sulaiman Achimugu, a man who represented the Nigerian dream. My husband was a symbol of integrity, leading the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC) with a record that served as a model of transparency in the industry.

I stood by my husband throughout his impactful journey. Being his wife added to the values I gained from my upbringing. I am also a mother, daughter, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and a successful business developer, contributing to the economy and employing hundreds of Nigerians. My family name has always been linked to service. But now, that legacy is under attack due to a relentless and unfair assault.

Today, I must address both local and international media about a campaign against me that threatens my personal rights and those of my children, elderly parents, extended family, and staff. It also affects the environment for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Nigeria.

For nearly two years, I have faced oppression, character assassination, intimidation, and the wrongful actions of agents from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), led by its current Chairman. These actions violate the principles of the rule of law and natural justice as stated in the Nigerian Constitution.

Many have wrongly interpreted my silence as fear or guilt due to the misleading information aimed at me. I want to clarify that I have been quiet out of personal restraint and for the good of the nation. I have always valued the opportunities Nigeria has given me over the past three decades.

One example of my commitment to Nigeria was my involvement in an international roadshow across 30 countries to promote the Ibaka Deep Sea Port project, which led to the creation of the Ibom Deep Sea Port, an initiative I proposed to help national growth. I was trusted to represent professionalism, even without knowing me or testing my abilities.

In 2023, the EFCC's Port Harcourt office wrongly froze all my personal bank accounts, those of my children, and my companies in the Felak Group. They misled the Federal High Court into granting an order of interim forfeiture, wrongly claiming that I had ties to a company called MBA Forex and Capital Investment.

In January 2024, the EFCC again raised the issue of MBA Forex. My lawyer and I attended the meeting and explained that my company had only conducted one transaction on their behalf. The Central Bank of Nigeria had declared MBA a Ponzi scheme. I had no ownership stake in MBA Forex. To resolve the matter, we refunded N58 million related to the transaction, which I was told cleared my company's involvement in the investigation.

However, my issues with the EFCC worsened in March 2025. I received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number inviting me to the EFCC’s Port Harcourt office on March 5, 2025. I called back to explain that I would be abroad until the third week of April.

My lawyer delivered a letter to the Port Harcourt office on March 5, 2025, confirming my unavailability. Despite this, I received aggressive calls and WhatsApp messages on March 9, 2025. To ensure transparency, my lawyer then wrote directly to the EFCC Chairman in Abuja on March 12, 2025, confirming my availability for April 27 and 28, 2025. This communication shows I did not abscond but kept in documented contact with the EFCC.

On March 10, 2025, while this communication was ongoing, a social media rumor turned into a targeted campaign of defamation against me, my children, my family, and my businesses. This false narrative flooded social media platforms, showing no respect for my contributions to the economy and my role as a Nigerian citizen.

The malicious actions of the EFCC became clear on March 28, 2025. My company, Oceangate Oil & Gas Limited, submitted proof of payment of $20 million to the NUPRC for two blocks. Just four hours after this payment was confirmed, the EFCC labeled me a "Wanted Person" for "conspiracy and money laundering," promoting this claim on social media, even though they knew my whereabouts.

Later that day, over 30 armed operatives invaded my home, terrorized my family, and took away my jewelry and personal funds for reasons known only to them. It felt like a show of power.

In April 2025, I sought protection from the courts and filed a fundamental rights suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The matter was heard in my absence and adjourned to April 29, 2025, with the court ordering the status quo be maintained. This date was during the time my lawyers had already informed the EFCC I would return to Nigeria on April 28, 2025.

Upon my arrival early that day, EFCC operatives were waiting for me at the airport. Despite the court's order, they took me to their headquarters. I cooperated and was placed in an interrogation room. At 5 pm, I was presented with an asset declaration form that I half-filled since I did not understand the context.

At 5:30 pm, I received a bail form with conditions that included two Level 16 civil servants and two identified properties. I was detained overnight and taken to court the next day in an EFCC vehicle. The judge granted my bail and ordered my release within 24 hours.

But my release was delayed for five days, even after meeting my bail conditions. They also broke the bail conditions by asking me to submit my international passport, which I complied with as a law-abiding citizen.

When I finally got home, the trauma of my ordeal affected my family. My mother had just returned from spine surgery abroad and was forced to sit for hours by EFCC operatives, causing her emotional distress. This shock has permanently affected her health. I filed another fundamental human rights action against the EFCC for invading my privacy and property.

Instead of answering for their actions, the EFCC increased pressure on my finances. They froze all bank accounts linked to me and my businesses. For nearly two years, my personal and corporate accounts have remained frozen amid ongoing court cases. When that did not work quickly enough, the EFCC used Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act to trace, seize, and forfeit assets connected to me without any legal basis.

As part of this push, a media campaign falsely linked me to $7 million supposedly abandoned in a bank. This claim contradicts payment records I submitted, showing $2 million paid to NUPRC through a South African bank and $5 million for PPL 302. Despite this, the EFCC continued to press the allegation in court and on social media.

When that allegation fell through, the EFCC shifted focus to the remaining $13 million from the total $20 million payment made by Oceangate Oil & Gas Limited to NUPRC’s account. The EFCC acknowledged these transactions in a motion filed in court without any case or petition. I have appealed this order and await the outcome.

On January 20, 2026, while that appeal and my earlier suit were still pending, EFCC operatives invaded my house again. They removed all vehicles without regard for ownership or safety, leaving them exposed to the weather. When I sought the court's help to get my vehicles and other seized items returned, the EFCC obtained a new ex parte forfeiture order from the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory instead of defending their actions in court.

In almost two years, I have lost over nine international bank accounts, some with 35 years of history, without any suspicion of wrongdoing, including my children's maintenance account. Many financing opportunities have been canceled due to the smear campaign against me.

I live in constant fear for the safety of my young children. The trauma from these attacks has visibly aged my parents. I have lost valued friendships because many fear being linked to someone accused of money laundering. My reputation has been unfairly questioned. My investments and businesses have faced severe setbacks because of misleading information spread to the Nigerian public and beyond.

In the last five years, I have invested almost $90 million in Nigeria’s Oil and Gas sector, believing in Nigeria’s potential and the Local Content Act. I have brought over $100 million into the Nigerian economy and directly employed nearly 200 Nigerians. I have funded numerous charity projects through my foundation, Sam Empowerment Foundation (SEF), implementing over 1,000 health programs and empowering over a million people through various initiatives.

I made these investments without imagining they would lead to my defamation and put my children in fear for their mother’s safety.

The EFCC did not stop there. They also requested that my visa be revoked by the American Embassy in Abuja. Visa revocations are done by the Department of State in Washington, not because of an ongoing investigation. I received the revocation email on April 4, 2025, a week after the EFCC declared me wanted.

The most painful blow was when the American Embassy in Barbados, which covers my second citizenship, informed me that I could not apply for a visa until I cleared my status with Nigeria. This revelation came as I was trying to attend a scheduled executive program at Harvard.

What could lead to such hatred and destruction of a citizen who poses no harm? I am not a troublemaker. I have never been convicted of any crime. I have honored over 20 EFCC invitations, always respecting the law, even while being oppressed. I have lost income, investments, and my good name. My international partners hesitate to work with me because of the ongoing smear campaign.

The consequences of this media trial against me and my companies reach far beyond Nigeria, even though no crime has been identified. I often wonder what I did to deserve this treatment from Nigeria and the EFCC.

On July 16, 2026, the EFCC used a different tactic by displaying expensive jewelry and luxury cars, claiming they were worth huge amounts. They did this without any regard for my young children, who depend on me. What could cause such a level of hatred?

It is clear the goal is not just to wear me down, but to endanger my life and that of my children. I call on all well-meaning Nigerians, the National Assembly, the Judiciary, security services, and human rights activists to look into my situation. They should demand an end to this damaging media trial against me. Nigeria faces enough challenges. Law-abiding citizens should not have their assets seized without proper legal processes.

This persecution has not lessened my love for Nigeria. I remain proud of the country that allowed me to build my businesses without breaking the law. It is only under the current EFCC that I face misrepresentation. I have been targeted to destroy my investments and tarnish my character. I have suffered business losses and put my life and privacy at risk.

I believe justice delayed is justice denied. I am ready to face the law as long as due process is followed. My lawyers are exploring all legal options locally and internationally. I urge the media and global business community to support a fair business environment in Nigeria and reject defamatory information harming our economy.

Nigeria is our great nation. Let’s build it together, free from hate and division. We must protect our citizens, support our economy, and encourage businesses. The private sector is essential to any nation’s success.