By George Ozalla
The Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), Dr. Mustapha Abdullahi, has been arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged ₦500 billion fraud and money laundering investigation.
Sources familiar with the development said the Energy Commission boss was taken into custody in Abuja as part of an ongoing probe into alleged financial irregularities linked to the commission and some officials connected to its operations.
The arrest, which has stirred fresh concerns within Nigeria’s energy and public finance circles, is understood to be tied to alleged questionable transactions and movement of funds said to have attracted the attention of investigators over a period of time.
Officials close to the investigation disclosed that the anti-graft agency had been tracking financial records and contract-related transactions believed to involve huge sums of public funds. Investigators are reportedly examining the disbursement of allocations, payments to contractors, and other financial activities allegedly connected to the commission.
Although the EFCC has yet to issue a detailed official statement on the matter, sources within the Commission said the investigation revolves around alleged money laundering transactions estimated at about ₦500 billion.
The exact nature of the alleged infractions had not been fully disclosed as of the time of filing this report, but investigators were said to be widening the scope of the probe to include other individuals and organisations that may have handled or benefited from some of the transactions under scrutiny.
Attempts to obtain comments from the spokesperson of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, were unsuccessful, while officials of the Energy Commission of Nigeria also remained silent on the development.
The arrest has, however, generated conversations across the energy sector, particularly because of the strategic role of the Energy Commission in Nigeria’s power research, renewable energy development, energy planning and policy coordination.
Dr. Abdullahi was appointed Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Energy Commission of Nigeria by President Bola Tinubu in 2023. Before his appointment, he held positions within Nigeria’s petroleum and science sectors and was regarded as one of the technocrats involved in energy policy administration.
The latest development comes at a time anti-corruption agencies have intensified investigations into public sector spending and financial management across critical government institutions.
In recent months, the EFCC has sustained a series of high-profile probes involving former public officials and heads of government agencies over allegations ranging from contract fraud to diversion of public funds and money laundering offences.
The Energy Commission of Nigeria is one of the key federal agencies responsible for national energy policy coordination, strategic energy planning, renewable energy research and advisory support to the Federal Government on matters relating to energy development.
