News
Sanwo-Olu Under Probe As EFCC Links ‘Aisha Achimugu’s Forfeited $13m’ To Lagos Government
The Lagos State government, led by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over illicit $13 million traced to socialite and businesswoman Aisha Achimugu, PREMIUM TIMES confirmed on Wednesday from officials familiar with the case.
It was gathered that the EFCC began scrutinising Mr Sanwo-Olu’s government’s connection to the funds after investigators discovered that part of the funds was sourced from contractors working for or providing services to the Lagos State Government.
“The facts about the origin of the funds are already public in court documents, but the full details of how a large chunk of the money was sourced from some contractors offering services to Lagos State Government’, the identities of the contractors and the possible involvement of the governor and other government officials have not been disclosed in order not to jeopardise ongoing investigations,” a source told PREMIUM TIMES on the condition of anonymity due to lack of authorisation to speak publicly on the case.
On Wednesday, the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered a permanent forfeiture of the $13 million to the Nigerian government, citing its fraudulent origin.
Later on Wednesday, PREMIUM TIMES made unsuccessful attempts to get the comment of the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, and the state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, on the disclosure in the suit tracing part of the suspicious funds to the state’s contractors and EFCC’s investigations into the governor regarding the finances.
Neither of the two officials returned our reporter’s phone calls or responded to text or WhatsApp messages.
It remained unclear how the alleged scheme was executed. However, investigators say it remains curious that the contractors paid large sums to Ms Achimugu’s company without any valid business relationship with the firm or its owner.
It is also unclear whether Mr Sanwo-Olu is aware of or participated in the alleged scheme, or whether he is merely being investigated because he leads the administration under which the payments occurred.
Judge Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled on Wednesday that the explanations made by Ms Achimugu’s company for the suspicious payments were not convincing. He said he was not persuaded that the company had legitimately earned the money.
Governor Sanwo-Olu and Achimugu’s relationship
PREMIUM TIMES had reported the close relationship between Governor Sanwo-Olu and Ms Achimugu more than a year before EFCC’s probe into the oil block transactions became public.
The newspaper exclusively reported how Mr Sanwo-Olu abandoned work for days in January 2024 to party in the Caribbean Island of Grenada in commemoration of Ms Achimugu’s 50th birthday. Ms Achimugu turned 50 on 22 January 2024. She is now 52.
According to the PREMIUM TIMES report, Mr Sanwo-Olu flew in a private aircraft to the Caribbean Island and took residency in one of the most expensive resorts in the world to be part of the party.
He left many officials back home scrambling to figure out his whereabouts.
A website dedicated to the seven-day birthday party included information regarding visa arrangements, available chauffeurs, travel schedules, and the nearest airport to the event venue, among other details for the guests. The festivities commenced on 16 January with the arrival of guests.
But the governor, in his reaction to this newspaper’s report via his official X account @jidesanwoolu at the time, said he travelled on purpose to Grenada to advance his state’s economic interests. He neither denied nor confirmed attending the birthday party.
Early sign of Governor Sanwo-Olu probe
The first sign that Mr Sanwo-Olu was possibly under EFCC investigation surfaced in October 2024, when a report circulated that the Lagos State governor had filed a suit to ward off EFCC investigations.
In the suit, the governor reportedly sought a declaration that the threat of his arrest and detention was illegal, unconstitutional and a violation of his fundamental rights.
It added that the governor sought an order restraining the EFCC from harassing, arresting and detaining him over his governance.
The report also stated that one Martha Kanu, claimed in an affidavit filed in support of the suit, that she was briefed on the suit’s details by the governor via teleconference.
She said she believed the governor’s briefing to be true. She reportedly said the governor told her that EFCC officials planned to arrest his aides and family members over allegations of fund diversion.
In what also appeared to shed further light on the scope of the relationship between Mr Sanwo-Olu and Ms Achimugu, the controversial suit was filed by Darlington Ozurumba, the lawyer who also defended Ms Achimugu’s Oceangate Engineering in the $13 million forfeiture proceedings.
In the wake of the wide publicity the suit received, the Lagos State Government denied that the governor had authorised the filing of the suit, while also expressing doubts about the existence of any legal action.
“We need to clarify that Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at no time, sued or briefed any legal practitioner to file a suit on his behalf concerning the above subject matter,” the Lagos State Government said in a statement issued on 30 October 2024 by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro.
“It is disingenuous for the Governor, who enjoys immunity as conferred on him by the Constitution and has almost three years ahead of him, to brief any lawyer on this kind of matter.”
Mr Pedro also denied the claim that the EFCC was investigating the Lagos State governor. He insisted that the EFCC had never invited or threatened to arrest the governor or any member of his staff.
Mr Pedro also vouched for Mr Sanwo-Olu’s judicious use of the state’s resources
Although Mr Ozurumba appeared in court as the plaintiff’s lawyer to prosecute the case, the statement said that the origin of the reports about the purported suit was under investigation. It also cautioned media organisations to desist from circulating such misleading reports without proper investigation.
On 31 October 2024, a day after the Lagos State Government disowned the suit on behalf of the governor, EFCC filed its response to the suit categorically denying investigating or harassing the governor or any member of his family and staff.
But this was months before the oil block transactions took place.
Controversies
Ms Achimugu’s lifestyle has drawn public attention and controversy in the last two years.
Her January 2024 birthday extravaganza in Grenada and the $13 million forfeiture case are examples.
In 2025, EFCC declared her wanted in a 28 March 2025 public notice over her alleged involvement in money laundering and a Ponzi scheme. EFCC linked her to the controversial MBA Trading and Capital Limited.
The declaration prompted Ms Achimugu to file a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/626/2025 seeking to restrain the EFCC and other agencies from arresting or detaining her.
She argued that her rights to freedom of movement, dignity, and privacy were under threat.
On 28 April 2025, the judge, Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, ordered her to submit herself to the EFCC for questioning.
The following day, EFCC arrested her at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja upon her arrival from London at about 5 a.m. She has since been released from custody but continues facing investigations.
Although she has not been charged with any offence, her name has been linked to suspicious funds in an ongoing criminal trial, while investigations into her continue
The Nigerian delegation attending the 114th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva is in mourning due to the passing of prominent labour leader Domingo Michael Adeleke.
Adeleke, who was serving as the Chairman of the Lagos State Joint Negotiating Council (JNC), reportedly died on Tuesday in Geneva after a brief illness. While participating in the conference, he fell ill and required medical attention, but unfortunately, he did not survive. His contributions to the labour movement will be remembered during this difficult time.
The incident was confirmed by an official of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), who described him as a committed trade unionist devoted to workers’ welfare.
“It is with deep sorrow that the Nigeria Labour Congress and the entire trade union movement in Nigeria, especially the 2026 Workers’ Delegates to the International Labour Conference, announce the passing of Comrade Domingo Michael Adeleke, who died today in Geneva after a brief illness while attending the 114th Session of the International Labour Conference,” the official said.
A member of the Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU), Adeleke led the Lagos State Joint Negotiating Council, where he was actively involved in labour advocacy and workers’ welfare initiatives.
According to the NLC, he remained committed throughout his career to promoting decent work and social justice.
“Comrade Domingo was a committed trade unionist whose dedication to Nigerian workers and the struggle for decent work took him to the global stage right to the end.
“His loss is felt deeply by all who knew him and worked alongside him,” the official added.
The NLC also confirmed that its leadership had visited the hospital where his remains are being kept and had begun arrangements for repatriation.
“The NLC leadership earlier today went to the hospital to see his body in solidarity, mourn his passing, and begin the process of arranging the necessary procedures,” the official said.
His death has cast a shadow over Nigeria’s participation in the ongoing International Labour Conference, which brings together governments, employers, and workers’ representatives from across the world to deliberate on labour and employment issues.
Tributes have continued to pour in from labour leaders and colleagues who described Adeleke as a passionate advocate for workers’ rights and welfare.
The NLC extended condolences to his family, colleagues, and the wider labour movement, describing his passing as a major loss.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, the NLC family and all comrades across Lagos State. May his soul rest in peace, and may his commitment to workers’ rights continue to inspire us,” the Congress said.
Adeleke is remembered by colleagues as a dedicated labour activist who spent much of his career advancing public service and protecting the interests of Nigerian workers.
A nationwide protest has been scheduled for June 12 against worsening national insecurity, severe economic hardship, and a sharp drop in living standards across the federation.
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has partnered with 16 civil society organizations to lead the mass mobilization.
The coalition—comprising trade unions, youth groups, social movements, and faith-based organizations—noted that the demonstration is timed to coincide with Nigeria’s annual Democracy Day.
Recall that the date was designated by the federal government to honor Chief MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993, presidential election.
According to the organizers, widespread administrative failures leave ordinary citizens with nothing to celebrate on this anniversary.
A joint statement signed by Falana in his capacity as National Chairman of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), alongside Hassan Taiwo Soweto of the Lagos State #EndBadGovernance Movement and Yinka Folarin, National President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), expressed deep concern over the expansion of insecurity in the country.
The leaders observed that entire communities are currently subjected to continuous trauma from unpunished banditry, terrorism, and mass abductions.
“Innocent Nigerians are being killed, abducted, displaced and traumatized while government responses have remained largely inadequate and ineffective. We express solidarity with families of victims of terrorism, banditry and kidnapping across the country. We demand immediate and concrete action to secure the release of all Nigerians held captive by criminal groups in Oyo, Borno, Katsina, Kwara, Ekiti, Zamfara, Kaduna, Niger and other states where citizens have been abducted. The Nigerian people deserve a pro-people government that places protection of lives and property at the core of governance.”
The organizers criticized official security narratives, arguing that promises of safety have been consistently contradicted by the realities faced by rural farmers, commuters, and schoolchildren.
The declaration attributed the country’s severe economic crisis directly to the neoliberal policies introduced under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. The statement detailed the negative impacts of currency devaluation, electricity tariff increases, and the removal of the petroleum subsidy, noting that these measures have triggered historic food inflation and crippled small businesses despite increased statutory allocations to state governments.
Characterizing the upcoming June 12 demonstration as the initial stage of a prolonged series of public actions, the leaders urged widespread citizen participation. They called on workers, market women, unemployed youth, students, and professionals to coordinate grassroots mobilization efforts within their respective neighborhoods and workplaces to demand an immediate policy reversal.
“This protest is about the lives of our children and teachers in captivity. It is about the collective survival of ordinary Nigerians. The coalition therefore calls on civil society organizations and progressive groups to unite and mobilize the collective power of Nigerians to demand the release of all captives and oppose anti-people policies of the Tinubu administration that continue to increase poverty. The time has come for Nigerians to speak with one voice and demand security, dignity and a decent standard of living. Enough of the killings. Enough of the kidnappings. Enough of the hunger. Enough of the suffering.”
Tension and sorrow have gripped the Iluke Bunu community in Kogi State following a deadly bandit attack that reportedly claimed the life of the Vice Principal of Government Secondary School, Iluke.
According to reports, the victim, identified as Mr. Gani Anifowose, was brutally killed on Wednesday morning during an attack carried out by armed bandits.
Residents said the community is currently facing heightened security concerns, with fear and panic spreading across the area.
In another disturbing development, reports indicate that students from three neighbouring communities, who were scheduled to sit for the English Language WAEC examination on the same day, were allegedly abducted amid the worsening insecurity in the region.
The incidents have raised fresh concerns over the safety of students, teachers, and residents in vulnerable communities across Kogi State.
A representative of the community association called on security agencies and relevant authorities to urgently intensify efforts to restore peace, secure the affected communities, and ensure the safe return of the abducted victims.
“An hour is gone and no sign of rescue efforts from the security agencies despite placing several calls for help. We urge citizens to remain calm and continue praying for divine intervention, protection, and lasting peace in our communities.”
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