Mustapha Abdullahi, the director-general of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, has been detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged money laundering involving an estimated N500bn.
A source within the anti-corruption agency said Abdullahi was arrested on Wednesday and interrogated for several hours by EFCC investigators before being taken into custody pending further questioning.
According to the source, who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly on the matter, the investigation centres on alleged financial transactions linked to funds running into hundreds of billions of naira.
“We have arrested the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Dr Mustapha Abdullahi, for money laundering offences,” the source said.
“He was arrested and is currently in our custody. The money is to the tune of N500bn. He was quizzed by our interrogators till evening on Wednesday. He has been detained while interrogations will continue tomorrow.”
The EFCC has yet to issue an official statement on the arrest. Efforts to reach the commission’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.
Bola Tinubu appointed Abdullahi as director-general of the Energy Commission of Nigeria in October 2023 as part of a broader reshuffle of key federal agencies.
The development marks the latest high-profile investigation by the EFCC amid renewed scrutiny of public sector finances and allegations of corruption within government institutions.
