The Federal High Court in Abuja today ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to within 24 hours release socialite and business woman, Aisha Achimugu.

Justice Inyang Ekwo in a short ruling also added that parties in the suit, especially the EFCC, are to appear in court to give report on compliance to the court order on Friday, May 2, 2025.

CITY LAWYER recalls  that Justice Ekwo had on Monday, ordered Achimugu to submit herself to the EFCC in connection with its investigation bordering on money laundering and other offences.

Meanwhile, Achimugu has reportedly declared a hunger strike while in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), following her arrest by operatives of the anti-graft agency.

In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, her legal team, led by Mr. Chikaosolu Ojukwu (SAN), confirmed that Achimugu was arrested at approximately 5 a.m. at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Ojukwu said that his client had arrived voluntarily from London to honour the EFCC invitation before her arrest by operatives of the commission.

He said that the socialite had through her lawyer informed the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday that she would visit the EFCC on Tuesday.

He explained that the planned visit was in connection with an ongoing investigation into an alleged case of criminal conspiracy and money laundering brought against her.

”In the light of what transpired in court on Monday, our client returned based on the undertaking before the court to honour the EFCC’s invitation, but was arrested at the airport.

”She has immediately gone on a hunger strike. She is a prisoner of conscience and our stand in the arrest is that it has run contrary to the rule of law,” he said.

Ojukwu said that Achimugu was a well-known business magnate and the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Felak Concept Group, a consortium comprising several companies in engineering, maritime, oil and gas, and information technology.

The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court had ordered Ms Achimugu to appear before the EFCC as an investigation into alleged criminal conspiracy and money laundering deepens. Justice I. E. Ekwo, who gave the order in a ruling delivered on Monday, directed Ms Achimugu to appear before the anti-graft agency on Tuesday and before the court on Wednesday.

The ruling was delivered in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/626/2025, filed by Ms Achimugu against several law enforcement agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, the State Security Service, the EFCC, the Nigeria Security, Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Immigration Service.

It was speculated that the socialite will be arraigned before Justice Ekwo today over allegations that border on criminal conspiracy, money laundering and other yet-to-be-revealed charges. Achimugu was declared wanted by the EFCC on March 28, 2025.

Achimugu had sought an order of interim injunction restraining the respondents from threatening or harassing her with arrest, detention and invasion of her “Properties or threatening to impede her fundamental right to freedom of movement, liberty, privacy and properties,” among others.

While giving 10 grounds why her application should be granted, Achimugu said on March 28, the EFCC declared her wanted.

She said that her declaration as ‘wanted’ was unwarranted, unjustifiable, devoid of probable cause, and is calculated to discredit, humiliate and subject her to public opprobrium, thereby causing irreparable harm to her reputation, personal dignity, and professional standing.

On April 11, the judge had given the respondents the last opportunity to appear before him to show cause why Achimugu’s reliefs should not be granted and adjourned until today for hearing.

It was gathered that there was a mild drama when her aides and some of her lawyers at the airport tried to prevent the stern-looking operatives of the EFCC from taking her into their waiting bus.

The spokesman for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale did not answer several calls put across to his phone by DAILY TRUST.

But in response to the lawyer’s argument, one of the detectives told DAILY TRUST that they decided to arrest her at the airport because she couldn’t be trusted again after she had ignored previous invitations extended to her.

“If we leave her, we may find it very difficult to produce her in court. We had earlier declared her wanted after several invitations, and we can’t allow her to continue to walk freely.

“Besides, the court said she must appear before us today. We were not restricted from arresting her; what the court said was if she comes, she should not be detained.

“How are we sure that she will appear before us today? Now that we have seen her, we have a course to ensure she appears. What we did is still in line with the law,” the official confided in our correspondent.

He said that the socialite had through her lawyer informed the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday that she would visit the EFCC on Tuesday.

Achimugu’s Lawsuit

EFCC’s counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, while responding to Ms Achimugu’s application on Monday, told the court that a counter-affidavit was deposed by one of its investigators, Chris Odofin, detailing the reasons and circumstances leading to her invitation.

Earlier, the anti-graft agency said Ms Achimugu had initially honoured the EFCC’s invitation on February 12, 2024, during which she made a written statement and was subsequently granted administrative bail through her lawyer and surety, Darlington N. Ozurumba.

However, the commission noted she allegedly failed to report back as agreed, choosing instead to file a fundamental rights enforcement suit against the commission.

In her application, the accused explained the inflow of N8.71 billion into her corporate bank accounts as an “investment fund” for the acquisition of an oil block.

She further claimed the funds were transferred to the Federal Government’s account through her company, Oceangate Engineering Oil and Gas Limited, referencing documentation from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC.

According to the commission’s counter-affidavit, the investigation showed that Ms Achimugu’s company acquired two oil blocks, Shallow Water PPL 3007 and Deep Offshore PPL 302-DO, for  $25.3 million. The payments were allegedly made in cash via bureau de change operators, adding that the ultimate sources of the funds could not be traced to any legitimate business income or partnerships.

EFCC further noted that Ms Achimugu’s current suit is a calculated attempt to frustrate the ongoing investigation, despite a previous court decision in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/451/2024 dismissing her claim of fundamental rights violations.

The agency also discovered that the applicant operates one hundred and thirty-six (136) bank accounts across ten different banks in her personal and corporate names.

Who is Aisha Achimugu?

Her full name is Aisha Adole Achimugu. She was born on the 22nd January 1974 to family of Capt. J.E. A & Mrs. Adole (Rtd.) and from a very humble beginning.

Achimugu hails from Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State and she resides in Maitama, Abuja.

She attended Federal Government Girls Science School, Kuje, Abuja before she proceeded to University of Jos, where she bagged Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. She was later also awarded an honorary doctorate by the Commonwealth University, Belize.

Aisha got married to Sulaiman Akao Achimugu, who was a former Managing Director of the Pipeline and Product Marketing Company (PPMC), and they have three children.

However, her husband later passed away in 2020. Sulaiman was said to have died from COVID-19 complications.

Achimugu is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Felak Concept Group, a company that is into consultancy services related to health, equipment procurement, training and capacity building. She’s also a director in Altex Engineering Oil & Gas Limited and has also made her mark in maritime and transportation engineering.

Aisha is said to be at the forefront of the initiative for the actualisation and development of a Deep Sea Port in South-South, Nigeria.

She is the first female Consultant/Transaction Advisor on the development of a Deep-Sea Port through one of her high profile companies, “Felak Concept Limited”.

How 50th lavish birthday put businesswoman in spotlight

Specifically, Aisha clocked 50 years on January 22, 2024. To celebrate her golden jubilee, the socialite went all out for a seven-day birthday bash.

The birthday bash had in attendance many big wigs in the society including Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-olu and some of the crème de la crème of the Nigerian entertainment industry.

The 50th birthday party was held from January 16th to 23rd, 2024, in the Caribbean Island of Grenada. It was a party that would not be forgotten in a hurry because it was talk-of-the-town last year and it set many tongues wagging.

Responding to the lavish party in a statement on X, the FIRS said: “The FCT-Internal Revenue Service extends our warmest birthday wishes to you! May this special day be filled with joy and blessings. Remember to fulfill your tax obligations by filing your annual tax returns.”