Well-known entrepreneur and socialite, Aisha Achimugu, has commenced a hunger strike while in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), following her arrest at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
According to her legal counsel, Chikaosolu Ojukwu, SAN, Achimugu was apprehended by EFCC operatives around 5 a.m. on Tuesday, shortly after arriving in Nigeria from the United Kingdom. The arrest, her legal team insists, came despite her voluntary return to the country to respond to an EFCC invitation in line with court directives.
EFCC declares Achimugu wanted in March
Achimugu, the Chief Executive Officer of Felak Concept Group—a business conglomerate with interests in oil and gas, engineering, maritime, and IT—was declared wanted by the EFCC in March. The agency is probing her over allegations involving criminal conspiracy and money laundering.
A Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice I.E. Ekwo, had ordered the businesswoman to present herself at the EFCC office on Tuesday and appear before the court the following day, Wednesday.
Her legal team stated that she had complied with the court’s instruction by arriving in Nigeria specifically to honor that order.
Achimugu planned to turn self in
Ojukwu explained that his client had informed the court through legal representation on Monday of her intent to report to the EFCC the next day.
However, upon landing in Abuja, she was immediately taken into custody, an action the defense describes as a breach of legal due process.
“In the light of what transpired in court on Monday, our client returned based on the undertaking before the court to honor the EFCC’s invitation, but was arrested at the airport,” Ojukwu said.
“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.”
The legal team maintains that the arrest undermines the principle of voluntary compliance with judicial orders, especially considering that Achimugu was not fleeing but cooperating with authorities.
Efforts to obtain an official statement from the EFCC regarding the circumstances surrounding the arrest were unsuccessful, as repeated calls to the Commission’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, went unanswered.
The case is expected to draw significant public attention, given Achimugu’s high-profile status in Nigeria’s business landscape and the gravity of the allegations she faces.
