The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Mustapha Abdullahi, over an alleged N500 billion fraud and money laundering scandal.
Abdullahi was reportedly picked up in Abuja on Wednesday as investigators widened probes into alleged financial irregularities linked to the commission’s operations and transactions said to run into hundreds of billions of naira.
Multiple reports said the anti-graft agency is examining suspected diversion of public funds and other questionable financial dealings allegedly connected to the agency.
The EFCC has yet to issue a detailed official statement on the arrest, but the development has already stirred reactions across Nigeria’s energy and public governance sectors.
President Bola Tinubu appointed Abdullahi as Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria in October 2023. Prior to the appointment, he served as Senior Technical Adviser to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology.
The arrest marks one of the biggest corruption investigations involving Nigeria’s energy sector in recent months and comes amid growing scrutiny of public institutions handling critical infrastructure and energy development funds.
It also follows renewed anti-corruption campaigns by the EFCC targeting senior government officials and public sector agencies over alleged abuse of office and financial misconduct. EFA.
