BUSINESSWOMAN and founder of Oceangate Engineering Oil & Gas Ltd, Aisha Achimugu, has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of “oppression, character assassination, intimidation and the deliberate dissipation of my lawfully acquired personal property”.
In a press statement issued on Wednesday, News Point Nigeria reports that Achimugu said her reputation had been “unfairly questioned” and her investments suffered setbacks as a result of what she described as “misleading information” allegedly circulated by the anti-graft agency.
The businesswoman alleged that her life, the safety of her children and her investments were at risk due to what she called “persecution” by the state.
The allegations followed a series of legal actions involving the EFCC and properties linked to Achimugu.
On July 16, a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Apo granted a final forfeiture order for properties linked to Achimugu to the Federal Government.
The properties reportedly include jewellery valued at N4,645,170,294.9 billion, 11 exotic cars worth N4.293 billion, $50,000 and N30 million in cash.
Earlier in March, a Federal High Court in Abuja also granted an order of final forfeiture of $13 million linked to Achimugu and her company, Oceangate Engineering Oil & Gas Ltd.
The ruling followed a suit filed by the EFCC challenging ownership of the funds, which the commission alleged were proceeds of unlawful activities.
Achimugu, however, rejected the allegations and accused the commission of engaging in actions capable of damaging her reputation and business interests.
The businesswoman came into public attention in January 2024 after hosting a seven-day 50th birthday celebration on the Caribbean island of Grenada, attended by prominent Nigerian entertainers and other notable personalities.
More than a year later, the EFCC declared her wanted over alleged money laundering allegations. On April 29, 2025, EFCC operatives arrested her at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Achimugu said the “malicious nature” of the EFCC’s action was demonstrated by the fact that the agency declared her wanted despite allegedly knowing her location and exchanging correspondence with her.
She alleged that shortly after the wanted declaration, about 30 EFCC operatives “invaded my home, terrorized my family, embarrassed my environment and carted away all my jewelleries, safes, and personal funds in a cruel and unprofessional manner for reasons best known to them”.
She further claimed that her mother, who had recently returned from spine surgery abroad, was made to sit for hours and was “emotionally humiliated with no consideration for her age or health”.
Achimugu maintained that the $13 million forfeited funds linked to her company were intended for payment for oil blocks to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
According to her, allegations linking the company to abandoned funds were false and contradicted by payment documents already submitted to the regulatory agency.
“As part of the same push, a further media campaign attempted to link me to US$7,000,000 allegedly abandoned in a bank, a claim contradicted by the same clear payment tellers already submitted to NUPRC, showing $2,000,000 paid through a South African Bank in South Africa directly to NUPRC’s designated account on PPL 3007 and $5,000,000 on PPL 302 as part of Oceangate’s proof of payment,” she said.
She alleged that despite the evidence, the EFCC continued to pursue the claims through court filings and social media platforms as part of what she described as a campaign to damage her image.
“Having failed to sustain that particular allegation, the EFCC turned its attention to the remainder of the same NUPRC payment that my company submitted,” she added.
Achimugu said the $13 million was part of a total $20 million payment made by Oceangate Oil & Gas Limited into the Federal Government account operated by NUPRC for PPL 302-DO and PPL 3007.
She alleged that the funds were subjected to an ex-parte forfeiture order obtained by the EFCC at the Federal High Court despite what she described as the absence of an established case or existing petition.
She said the order had been challenged on appeal and that she was awaiting the outcome.
Achimugu further alleged that on January 20, 2026, while both the appeal and an earlier suit concerning the first alleged home invasion were still pending, EFCC operatives, acting on the directive of the chairman, invaded her private residence for a second time.
She claimed that the operatives removed vehicles from her premises using cranes and flatbeds, regardless of ownership, causing damage and leaving the vehicles exposed to weather conditions without records of any offence committed.
She said that when she approached the court seeking the return of her vehicles after six months and other seized personal items after almost two years, the EFCC instead obtained another ex-parte forfeiture order from the FCT High Court in the same matter.
The businesswoman said she had lost several financial opportunities because of what she described as a “continuous and calculated smearing” of her name by the EFCC.
She also alleged that the commission influenced the revocation of her United States visa after declaring her wanted.
“The EFCC did not stop at nothing, they also directed that my visa be revoked by the American Embassy in Abuja Nigeria, for merely declaring me wanted which was unjustified,” she said.
Achimugu said visa revocations were initiated by the United States Department of State in Washington and not based solely on unresolved investigations.
She said she received an email notifying her of the visa revocation on April 4, 2025, seven days after the EFCC declared her wanted.
She added that the situation also affected her ability to travel on her Grenada passport after her application to attend a previously scheduled Harvard executive programme was stalled.
Achimugu said she later discovered that the issue extended to the United States Embassy responsible for her second citizenship.
She maintained that she had never been involved in criminal conduct and had never been convicted of any offence.
“I have never been known to be a troublemaker. I am not a criminal and I have never been convicted of any offence. I have never been confronted with any crime that I did not own up to,” she said.