Businesswoman Aisha Achimugu has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of putting her life, children and investments at risk, claiming the agency’s actions also led to the cancellation of her United States visa.
The founder of Oceangate Engineering Oil & Gas Limited said she is not a criminal and accused the anti-graft agency of intimidation, oppression and damaging her reputation.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Achimugu alleged that the EFCC deliberately tarnished her image, seized properties she legally acquired and caused her to lose major business opportunities.
Her comments came after a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Apo ordered the final forfeiture of several assets linked to her on July 16. The assets include jewellery valued at about ₦4.65 billion, 11 luxury vehicles worth ₦4.293 billion, as well as $50,000 and ₦30 million in cash.
Earlier in March, a Federal High Court in Abuja also ordered the final forfeiture of $13 million connected to Achimugu and her company, Oceangate, following an EFCC application alleging the funds were proceeds of unlawful activities.
Achimugu rejected the allegation, insisting the money was part of a $20 million payment made by her company to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) for two oil blocks. She explained that the $13 million represented the remaining balance after other payments had been made.
“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 said.
She disclosed that she has appealed the forfeiture order and is waiting for the court’s decision.
Achimugu also accused the EFCC of declaring her wanted despite knowing where she was and communicating with her. She alleged that around 30 EFCC officers later stormed her residence, terrified her family and seized jewellery, safes and cash.
According to her, the officers also forced her elderly mother, who had recently undergone spinal surgery abroad, to remain seated for hours without considering her health condition.
She was arrested by the EFCC at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on April 29, 2025, after being declared wanted over alleged money laundering.
The businesswoman further claimed that EFCC operatives returned to her home on January 20, 2026, and removed every vehicle on the premises using cranes and flatbed trucks without considering ownership or possible damage.
She said that when she approached the Federal High Court to recover her vehicles and other seized belongings, the EFCC instead obtained another ex-parte forfeiture order from the FCT High Court.
Achimugu also blamed the agency for the revocation of her US visa, saying she was informed of the decision on April 4, 2025, just seven days after she was declared wanted.
She alleged that information supplied by the EFCC also affected her attempt to obtain another US visa with her Grenadian passport through the American Embassy in Barbados, preventing her from attending a Harvard University executive programme she had already planned for.
“I discovered the most devastating information when I could not proceed with an application for a visa on my Grenada passport which was to enable me to attend my already booked and scheduled Harvard executive programme,” she said.
Maintaining her innocence, Achimugu said the EFCC’s actions had endangered her family and severely damaged her reputation both in Nigeria and abroad.
“I have never been known to be a troublemaker. I am not a criminal and I have never been convicted of any offence that I did not own up to,” she stated.
