Renowned businesswoman and investor, Dr. Aisha Achimugu (OFR), has broken her silence over what she described as nearly two years of sustained attacks on her person, family and businesses, calling for protection of her life, respect for court orders and an end to what she termed an orchestrated media trial.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Achimugu alleged that the actions taken against her have not only threatened her personal safety but also jeopardised over $100 million in investments across Nigeria and abroad, warning that the situation could discourage foreign direct investment into the country.
The accountant and philanthropist, who is the widow of former Managing Director of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), the late Engr. Sulaiman Akowe Achimugu, maintained that her family has always been associated with integrity and national service.
She urged authorities to safeguard her rights, protect her children and preserve the businesses she said she had built over several years.
“I call for the protection of my life, the lives of my children, the protection of my privacy, an end to the misleading media trial on my person and the companies I have built with credibility and capacity over several years. I equally call for respect of court orders, and the protection of over $100 million I have within the oil and gas sector, and several sectors both in Nigeria and internationally,” she said.
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Achimugu explained that her prolonged silence was not an admission of guilt but a deliberate decision taken out of respect for the judicial process and national interest.
She highlighted her contributions to Nigeria’s economic development, recalling that her proposal to the Ministry of Transportation led to an international investment roadshow across 30 countries, which she said eventually culminated in the Ibom Deep Sea Port project.
Tracing the dispute to 2023, the businesswoman alleged that the Port Harcourt Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) froze her personal bank accounts, those of her children and companies within the Felak Group after allegedly linking her to MBA Forex and Capital Investment, a company later declared a Ponzi scheme by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
According to her, the anti-graft agency obtained an interim forfeiture order from the Federal High Court based on what she described as a mistaken belief that she was a shareholder or director of the company.
Achimugu said she and her legal team honoured a subsequent EFCC invitation in January 2024 and explained that her company had only handled a single transaction for MBA Forex, for which it had been duly paid.
She disclosed that her company refunded N58 million to the EFCC recovery account, saying she was informed that the payment resolved any issues arising from the transaction and established that neither she nor her companies had any ownership interest in MBA Forex.
The businesswoman further alleged that the matter escalated in March 2025 while she was abroad after she received what she described as an informal invitation through a WhatsApp message requesting her appearance before the EFCC.
She said her lawyers formally notified the commission of her temporary unavailability and confirmed that she would report on April 27 and 28, 2025, but claimed that despite the communication, she was declared wanted and became the subject of an extensive media campaign alleging conspiracy and money laundering.
Achimugu questioned the timing of the declaration, alleging that it came just hours after her company, Oceangate Oil and Gas Limited, submitted evidence of a $20 million payment to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) for the acquisition of oil blocks PPL 302-DO and PPL 3007.
She further alleged that armed operatives later searched her residence and removed valuables, including safes, jewellery and cash, prompting her to institute a fundamental rights suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja, which she said ordered parties to maintain the status quo.
According to her, she returned to Nigeria on April 28, 2025, in compliance with the judicial process but was intercepted by EFCC operatives on arrival at the airport and taken to the commission’s headquarters.
Achimugu insisted she has always respected the law, claiming to have honoured more than 20 invitations from the anti-graft agency over the years.
She also highlighted what she described as her extensive philanthropic activities, including the construction of schools, primary healthcare centres, sanitation facilities, water projects, churches and mosques across several states.
She said she had funded scholarships for more than 2,000 students, supported the education of over 10,000 children, maintained a food bank for vulnerable families and sponsored thousands of community outreach initiatives.
The businesswoman expressed regret that, despite these contributions, she has become the subject of what she described as institutional persecution.
She further alleged that the EFCC’s actions affected her international profile, claiming the agency’s declaration that she was wanted resulted in the revocation of her United States visa and created challenges with her Grenadian citizenship, preventing her from attending a Harvard executive programme after she was allegedly flagged as a fugitive.
Achimugu also criticised the public display by the EFCC on July 16, 2026, of luxury vehicles, jewellery and cash allegedly linked to her, describing the action as an attempt to prejudice public opinion and endanger her family’s safety.
She said the development had damaged her businesses, disrupted relationships with international partners and stalled ongoing investments.
