OPERATIVES of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested the Director-General (DG) of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Mustapha Abdullahi, over alleged money laundering offences.
Reports said sources within the anti-graft agency, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed on Wednesday that Abdullahi was arrested in Abuja and had since been held by the commission.
The ICIR contacted the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, for confirmation, but he declined calls placed to his line. He also did not respond to WhatsApp and text messages sent to him when filing this report.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Abdullahi as DG and chief executive officer of the commission on October 24, 2023, as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s energy transition and renewable energy drive.
Abdullahi is a mechanical engineer and energy expert. He hails from Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State, although he was born in Kano State in January 1985. Before his appointment as the commission’s DG, he served as senior technical adviser and chief of staff to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology.
He studied Mechanical Engineering at Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology and later obtained a master’s degree from the University of Salford. He also earned a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Manchester, where his research focused on renewable energy and structural health monitoring in the oil and gas sector. Following his doctorate, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship as a research associate at the same institution.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.