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Aisha Achimugu Seeks Safety Amid Escalating EFCC Dispute
Businesswoman appeals to courts, government and rights groups over alleged harassment, asset seizures and damaging media coverage
Aisha Achimugu, a Nigerian accountant, entrepreneur and oil and gas investor, has appealed to the Federal Government, the judiciary, the National Assembly, security agencies and international human rights organisations for protection, alleging that a prolonged dispute with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has placed her life, family, businesses and reputation at risk.
Also read: BUSINESSWOMAN AISHA ACHIMUGU CRIES OUT OVER ALLEGED THREAT TO LIFE, CALLS FOR PROTECTION OF RIGHTS AND DUE PROCESS
In a lengthy statement released in July 2026, Achimugu accused the anti-graft agency of subjecting her to what she described as a sustained campaign of intimidation, asset seizures, character assassination and damaging media coverage over nearly two years.
She also called for respect for court orders and the protection of her investments in Nigeria and abroad.
The businesswoman, who said she has not been convicted of any offence, maintained that she was prepared to face lawful investigation provided due process was followed.
“I believe that justice delayed is justice denied, and I am not afraid to face the law provided due process is followed,” Achimugu said.
Her intervention comes amid a series of legal battles and public controversies involving her businesses, the EFCC and assets allegedly linked to an investigation into financial transactions involving MBA Forex and Capital Investment.
Achimugu said the dispute began in 2023 when the EFCC’s Port Harcourt zonal office allegedly froze her personal bank accounts, those belonging to her children and accounts linked to companies within the Felak Group.
She alleged that the action was based on what she described as an incorrect assumption that she was a partner, associate, director or shareholder of MBA Forex.
According to Achimugu, she and her legal representatives later explained that her company’s relationship with MBA Forex involved a single transaction carried out on behalf of the company.
She said her company subsequently refunded N58 million to an EFCC recovery account in January 2024.
Achimugu maintained that the payment was intended to resolve questions surrounding her company’s limited involvement in the transaction and to make clear that neither she nor her children had ownership interests in MBA Forex.
The situation, she alleged, escalated in March 2025 after she received an invitation to appear before the EFCC’s Port Harcourt office.
Achimugu said she was outside Nigeria at the time and that her lawyers subsequently communicated her availability to the commission. She argued that the correspondence contradicted any suggestion that she had deliberately evaded investigators.
On 28 March 2025, however, she said the EFCC declared her wanted for alleged conspiracy and money laundering.
The declaration came, according to her account, on the same day that Oceangate Oil & Gas Limited, a company she said was the successful bidder for two oil prospecting licences, submitted proof of a combined $20 million payment to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission.
Achimugu alleged that armed EFCC operatives subsequently entered her home and removed jewellery, safes and personal funds.
She described the incident as an “unprofessional” show of force and said it caused severe distress to members of her family.
The dispute later moved into the courts.
Achimugu said she filed a fundamental rights action at the Federal High Court in Abuja in April 2025 and that the court ordered the parties to maintain the status quo pending a subsequent hearing.
She alleged that EFCC operatives nevertheless detained her after she returned to Nigeria on 28 April 2025.
According to her account, she was later granted bail by a court but remained in detention for several additional days before her release.
Achimugu also alleged that her aged mother, who had recently undergone spinal surgery abroad, was subjected to an emotionally distressing encounter during an EFCC operation at the family home.
She said she subsequently filed another fundamental rights action alleging breaches of her rights to privacy and property.
The businesswoman further claimed that the EFCC subsequently froze several bank accounts connected to her and her businesses, disrupting international financing arrangements and affecting commercial relationships.
She also disputed allegations surrounding $7 million said to have been abandoned in a bank account, arguing that records submitted to NUPRC showed payments of $2 million and $5 million made in connection with two separate oil prospecting licences.
Achimugu said a further $13 million from the combined $20 million payment was subsequently made the subject of an interim forfeiture order obtained by the EFCC at the Federal High Court.
She said the order had been challenged on appeal.
The dispute took another turn in January 2026 when, according to Achimugu, EFCC operatives returned to her home and removed vehicles from the premises.
She alleged that the vehicles were taken away using cranes and flatbed trucks and that the action occurred while earlier court proceedings were still pending.
Achimugu said her efforts to secure the return of her property through the courts were followed by another ex-parte forfeiture order obtained by the EFCC at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
The claims could not be independently verified from the statement alone, while the EFCC has maintained its position in the broader investigation and asset forfeiture proceedings involving Achimugu and assets linked to the case.
For Achimugu, however, the dispute has extended beyond the courtroom.
She said the public campaign surrounding the investigation had damaged her reputation, affected relationships with international partners and created uncertainty around investment opportunities.
She also alleged that the controversy had affected her immigration status in the United States and raised difficulties concerning a separate citizenship and visa application.
Achimugu said she learned of an adverse report circulated internationally after she was declared wanted in Nigeria.
She argued that the consequences had extended far beyond the original investigation and had affected her ability to travel and participate in international programmes.
The businesswoman also drew attention to her investment record, saying she had committed almost $90 million to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector within the last five years.
She further claimed that her businesses had attracted more than $100 million in investment into the Nigerian economy and that she had directly employed nearly 200 Nigerians.
Beyond business, Achimugu highlighted the work of the Sam Empowerment Foundation, which she said had supported health programmes, oxygen supply initiatives, medical interventions, schools, water projects and community development programmes across Nigeria.
She claimed that the foundation had reached more than one million people through various interventions, supported more than 2,000 Nigerians with scholarships and provided educational assistance to more than 10,000 children.
Those contributions, she argued, formed part of the wider context that should be considered when assessing the impact of the ongoing controversy.
“I have asked myself repeatedly what I have done to Nigeria, to Nigerians, or to the EFCC and its Chairman to deserve this,” she said.
Achimugu’s statement also reflected the personal cost of the dispute.
She said her children, aged parents and staff had been affected by the controversy and expressed concern about their physical safety and emotional wellbeing.
She particularly criticised what she described as continued public displays of seized jewellery and luxury vehicles, arguing that such publicity could expose her family to unnecessary danger.
The businesswoman said the publication of images and details relating to her assets had intensified what she called a dangerous media trial.
She is now calling on the National Assembly, judiciary, security agencies, human rights organisations and Nigeria’s international partners to examine her case objectively.
Achimugu said her appeal was not intended to place her above the law but to insist that any investigation involving her should comply with constitutional protections, judicial orders and the principles of natural justice.
Her case also raises broader questions about the delicate balance between aggressive financial crime investigations and the protection of the rights of individuals whose assets are subject to investigation or forfeiture proceedings.
The EFCC, established to investigate and prosecute economic and financial crimes, has increasingly relied on asset recovery and forfeiture proceedings as part of its enforcement strategy.
Such actions, however, have often generated legal challenges over due process, property rights and the balance between public interest and individual liberties.
For Achimugu, the issue has become deeply personal.
She said the experience had not diminished her commitment to Nigeria, despite the financial and reputational damage she believes she has suffered.
“I remain a proud Nigerian, grateful for the decades I spent building businesses without ever breaching the law,” she said.
Her final appeal was directed beyond the immediate dispute.
Achimugu urged Nigerians to protect legitimate businesses and create an environment in which private enterprise can thrive, arguing that investors require confidence in the rule of law and respect for property rights.
“Protect your citizens, protect the economy of our nation, and encourage and support visible businesses,” she said.
As her legal team continues to pursue remedies in Nigerian courts and, according to her, through international channels, the Aisha Achimugu EFCC dispute remains a closely watched case involving allegations of financial crime, asset forfeiture, individual rights and the wider question of how Nigeria balances the fight against corruption with investor confidence and due process.
For now, the outcome of the various legal proceedings will determine whether the allegations against Achimugu translate into criminal liability or whether her challenges to the EFCC’s actions ultimately prevail.
Also read: Aisha Achimugu Dismisses Sanwo-Olu Link To Her Success
Until the courts reach final decisions, the competing claims remain subject to judicial determination.
By Emmanuel Ado
There is an Igbo African proverb that says, “A tree cannot make a forest.” At its core, the saying encourages people to work together as a team in pursuit of a shared communal goal. Yet this timeless wisdom does not write off the fact that extraordinary individuals, with conviction and drive, can become the spark that makes a great difference.
Also read: Governor Dauda Lawal Commends Senator Yari’s Appointment as President Tinubu’s Campaign Council DG
Throughout history, remarkable leaders like Governor Dauda Lawal, with vision, courage, and determination, have emerged and inspired others to make a fundamental difference. So, while a single tree may literally not make a forest, it can indeed make a forest.
Nowhere is this truth more vividly demonstrated than on the football pitch, where exceptional individuals like Lionel Messi have continued to make unimaginable impacts.
It is a statement of fact that Lionel Messi plays with ten teammates, a coach and substitutes, yet he has carried his club and country and single-handedly turned around the course of several matches. Messi possesses the rare ability to turn seemingly certain defeats into victories.
Governor Dauda Lawal is, in several respects, like Messi. He did not inherit an easy assignment, but through sheer determination and vision, he has made the huge difference that only an exceptional leader can make.
The story of Zamfara State under Lawal is the story of a determined leader providing the direction and confidence needed to change the ugly narrative of the state.
Governor Lawal has turned around Zamfara State because of the strength of his character, education, exposure and, most importantly, his vision. He inherited a state in 2023 that needed a leader who was prepared to challenge the status quo and fundamentally change the way government business was conducted—and he has risen to that challenge.
Zamfara State was facing serious challenges insecurity, institutional weaknesses and a development deficit all of which demanded decisive and purposeful leadership.
Like the gamji tree after which he is named deeply rooted, strong and capable of enduring the harshest conditions Lawal has confronted these challenges head-on and, in the process, inspired the people to believe that renewal is possible. In that sense, he is a tree that has made a forest, and the driving force behind the New Zamfara State.
There is no doubt that Governor Lawal came well prepared for the rescue mission and his anger about the condition of his dear state was evident.
To understand the significance of what is unfolding in Zamfara State today, this point is important. It raises an interesting question: the place of anger in governance? Can righteous anger, disciplined by vision and determination, be sufficient to push a leader to deliver? In Zamfara State, Lawal’s exploits suggest that it can.
Much of the transformation now taking shape has certainly been driven by anger and a stubborn resolve that the state must at all cost work. Let us examine the condition of the state before Governor Lawal assumed office.
For many years, Zamfara State had made headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Beyond the controversy that surrounded the introduction of the Sharia legal system, the state struggled with deep-rooted challenges in education, poor healthcare facilities and a dysfunctional public service.
Schools suffered from inadequate infrastructure and had poor learning conditions, while repeated industrial actions reflected government’s failure to meet its obligations to teachers and other public servants.
The health sector was not just distressed, with inadequate and dilapidated facilities it also suffered from acute shortages of personnel. Then came the darker years of banditry, terrorism and kidnapping, which displaced several communities, and destroyed livelihoods.
The cumulative effect was devastating, as it shattered the people’s confidence in the capacity of government to secure their lives and property, provide essential services and infrastructure, deliver quality education and healthcare, and create the economic opportunities needed for them to live decent lives. Despite the enormity of these challenges, the people of Zamfara State refused to be overwhelmed.
The people of Zamfara State deserve credit for the transformation now taking place. They understood that the scale of the state’s problems required a leader prepared to confront the wreckage head-on, rather than turn it into a permanent alibi for poor performance.
That understanding translated into unflinching support for Governor Lawal, whose emergence also broke a long-standing political pattern in the highly conservative state, which had historically voted in one direction.
His victory was particularly significant because it came after years of political dominance by one party, interrupted only briefly in 2019 when the PDP returned to power following a crisis within the APC. Lawal’s victory, therefore, was more than an electoral upset; it represented the determination of the people to entrust their state to a leader they believed could change their fortunes.
It was against this difficult background that Governor Lawal administration began his rescue mission to rebuild Zamfara State from its very foundations.
And he understood that it was a task that could not be accomplished through piecemeal interventions, but one that required a holistic approach that governance, security, infrastructure, education, healthcare and economic development are all interconnected.
That understanding shaped the administration’s approach to governance. Security, for instance, has not been treated simply as a matter of confronting terrorists, but as the necessary foundation upon which every other aspect of development must rest.
The establishment of the Community Protection Guards was conceived as a community-based security outfit, particularly for areas where conventional security forces face enormous challenges.
Alongside this, the state government has continued to provide logistics and other forms of assistance to the security agencies in the war against the terrorists.
The objective is clear: the defeat of the terrorists. Governor Lawal has also been unequivocal that there will be no negotiation with them.
For the governor, victory over the bad guys is a displaced farmer returning to his farm. A child returning to school is a security victory. A market reopening after prolonged disruption is a security victory.
A community being able to conduct its social and religious activities without fear of attack is also a victory. In other words, the real test of improved security is not simply the number of successful operations conducted or the number of criminals neutralized, but on whether the ordinary people have reclaimed their lives.
And once people are able to move freely and live their normal lives, the question naturally becomes: what environment will they be returning to? This is where infrastructure becomes part of the larger rescue mission story. For years, poor roads and neglected urban infrastructure had told the story of a neglected state.
The administration’s focus on road construction and rehabilitation is therefore an important part of its effort to reconnect communities and transform Zamfara State.
Before the coming of Governor Lawal, Gusau looked more like a glorified local government headquarters than the capital of a state. Today, that picture has changed.
The administration’s road projects are well designed, with pedestrian walkways and provisions for internet connectivity.
Good roads reduce travel time to schools and healthcare facilities, facilitate the movement of agricultural produce, and strengthen the connection between rural communities and urban centres.
Infrastructure is an enabler of economic activity and urban development. Governor Lawal, a man of taste, is leaving the state with roads and public buildings that are not only functional but visually appealing, and is gradually transforming Gusau into a capital city worthy of the state it represents.
Governor Lawal has extended the same logic to education, declaring a state of emergency in a sector that had been severely weakened by the the lack of investment, the high number of out-of-school children, lack of trained teachers, inadequate infrastructure, which accounts for the poor performance in national examinations and all made worse by the security crisis.
The administration recognised that Zamfara State could not afford to lose another generation to illiteracy and has therefore intervened on several fronts, addressing shortages of teachers, dilapidated school infrastructure and the financial barriers affecting students.
The renovation of schools and payment of outstanding WAEC and NECO fees reflect an understanding of the challenges. For struggling families, the inability to pay examination fees can mean an interrupted academic journey for their children.
By removing these barriers, the administration has restored more than access to education; it has restored opportunity for upward mobility in a world that is increasingly becoming a knowledge economy.
Just as he has done in education, Governor Lawal has also invested heavily in strengthening the healthcare delivery system to meet the medical needs of the people.
The rehabilitation and upgrading of dilapidated healthcare facilities, including general hospitals and primary healthcare centres, are significant interventions in a state where access to quality healthcare has long been a challenge.
The installation of solar power systems in these facilities has also helped address the challenge of unreliable electricity supply.
For expectant women in rural communities, access to functional healthcare improves the chances of safe delivery, the better-equipped facilities have reduced the need for long and often difficult journeys in search of basic medical care.
Improving healthcare is ultimately an investment in the wellbeing of the people. And increasingly, the impact of these interventions is becoming visible in the improved availability and accessibility to essential healthcare services across the state.
There are also the public servants, whose role is indispensable to the smooth functioning of government itself. They are not always visible in the successful story of development, but they are the machinery through which government policies, programmes and projects are translated into results.
There is no denying the fact that an efficient and motivated public service is critical to the success of any administration. Governor Lawal’s regular payment of salaries, alongside efforts to clear the backlog of gratuities and other outstanding obligations, has helped restore morale in the service.
The importance of this cannot be overstated. A public servant who receives his salary as and when due is better able to meet his responsibilities.
Prolonged non-payment of salaries had a ripple effect that extended far beyond the civil service, affecting families, businesses and communities.
While years of banditry have severely disrupted farming and forced many farmers away from their fields, agriculture remains at the heart of Zamfara State’s economy and the livelihood of a large proportion of its people. It provides food, employment and income, sustaining much of the rural economy.
Recognising this, Governor Lawal has invested significant resources in revitalising the sector by providing farmers with the inputs, equipment and support they need to return to productive farming.
The message is clear: terrorists cannot be allowed to destroy the foundations of Zamfara’s economy. In a state where agriculture is a way of life, reviving farming is, in many respects, an essential part of rebuilding Zamfara State itself.
The work is not finished. Governor Lawal himself would be the first to acknowledge that much remains to be done. But, as Chinua Achebe reminds us, “the morning shows the day.” And the signs are unmistakable: Zamfara State is moving forward, with a renewed determination to rebuild, recover and reclaim its future.
As Governor Lawal seeks a second term, therefore, the most important question before the people of Zamfara is no longer whether the Rescue Mission has made a difference. The evidence of change is increasingly visible across the state.
Also read: Governor Dauda Lawal Commends Senator Yari’s Appointment as President Tinubu’s Campaign Council DG
The more consequential question is how the progress already achieved can be consolidated, institutionalised and sustained, so that the gains of the past three years do not merely become a chapter in Zamfara State’s history, but the foundation upon which a stronger, safer and more prosperous state is built.
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