THE Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) has announced the return of its Director General, Mustapha Abdullahi, to office following his arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged money laundering offences.
The commission announced this on its official X handle on Thursday, describing Abdullahi as its “capacity DG.”
“Our Capacity DG is back!” the commission caption the post accompanied by a video showing Abdullahi walking into the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
The commission also explained that the director-general had officially resumed duties at the agency’s headquarters and expressed gratitude to God and President Bola Tinubu.
“The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the (ECN), Dr. Abdullahi Mustapha, has officially resumed duty at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja. He expresses gratitude to God almighty, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” it added.
The ICIR reported that EFCC operatives arrested Mustapha on Wednesday in Abuja over alleged money laundering offences involving more than N500 billion.
ECN debunked the arrest in a statement, stating that Mustapha only honoured an invitation to the EFCC, in line with due process and his respect for constituted authorities.
“It is important to clarify that he was not arrested but attended the engagement voluntarily as a responsible public servant committed to transparency and accountability,” it read.
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.
Before his appointment, Abdullahi had worked for more than 10 years at the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
In December 2025, the Network Against Corruption and Drug Trafficking (NACAT) petitioned Tinubu, the EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over alleged corruption within the commission.
The group accused Abdullahi of involvement in what it described as a coordinated scheme involving the award and payment of solar streetlight contracts worth hundreds of millions of naira to five companies allegedly linked to the same individuals.
NACAT alleged that the companies were registered within the same period, shared similar addresses in Abuja, and had common directors.
The organisation also alleged that procurement laws were violated in the award of the contracts.
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.