ABUJA, Nigeria – Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested Mustapha Abdullahi, the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), in connection with an alleged money laundering scheme involving over ₦500 billion.
Okay News reports that Abdullahi was taken into custody in Abuja on Wednesday and is currently being interrogated by the anti-graft agency. While the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, has not officially commented on the arrest, sources close to the investigation indicate that the probe centers on massive financial irregularities during his tenure.
Abdullahi, who was appointed by President Bola Tinubu in October 2023 after a decade-long career at the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), had been under the radar of civil society groups for months. In December 2025, the Network Against Corruption and Drug Trafficking (NACAT) petitioned the presidency and anti-corruption agencies, alleging a “well-coordinated and brazen scheme” involving the illegal award of solar streetlight contracts.
The petition alleged that contracts worth several hundreds of millions were awarded to five companies reportedly registered within a single week in late 2023. These companies allegedly shared identical addresses and directors, leading to accusations that Nigeria’s procurement laws were violated. This arrest follows a string of high-profile anti-corruption actions by the EFCC targeting senior government officials accused of betraying public trust and mismanaging national resources.
