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By Lizzy Chirkpi
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has taken into custody the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Dr Mustapha Abdullahi, over an alleged N500 billion money laundering scandal currently under investigation.
Sources within the anti-graft agency disclosed on Wednesday that Abdullahi was arrested in Abuja following ongoing investigations into suspected financial irregularities linked to the commission.
A top official familiar with the matter said investigators are tracking large sums of money allegedly moved through different accounts and channels.
“We have arrested the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Dr Mustapha Abdullahi, for money laundering offences. He was arrested and is currently in our custody. The money is to the tune of N500bn,” the source said.
The arrest marks one of the biggest high-profile corruption investigations involving a serving head of a federal agency in recent months.
Although details of the alleged transactions and specific offences were still sketchy as of the time of filing this report, sources within the commission said investigators were examining financial records and documents linked to the agency and some affiliated entities.
Efforts to get official confirmation from EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, were unsuccessful, as calls and messages sent to him were not responded to before press time.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had appointed Abdullahi as Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria on October 24, 2023, as part of efforts to reposition the nation’s energy sector