The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Felak Concept Group, Aisha Achimugu, in the early hours of Tuesday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The arrest occurred around 5am.shortly after Achimugu arrived voluntarily in Nigeria from London.
LEADERSHIP reports that the EFCC had declared the businesswoman wanted on March 28, 2025, over alleged involvement in a money laundering case.
Confirming her arrest in a statement, her legal counsel, Chikaosolu Ojukwu, disclosed that Achimugu immediately embarked on a hunger strike following her detention.
“She arrived voluntarily and was arrested by the EFCC. She has immediately gone on hunger strike,” Ojukwu stated.
Drawing comparisons with historic political detainees, Ojukwu added: “Like Nelson Mandela of South Africa and Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar, she is a prisoner of conscience. This phase will surely pass. Nigeria’s rule of law is at the precipice.”
The arrest came a day after Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja directed Achimugu to appear before the EFCC on Tuesday, April 29, and ordered the agency to present her in court the following day, Wednesday, April 30.
The court’s order followed an application filed by Achimugu seeking interim reliefs to restrain security agencies from arresting or harassing her. Her lead counsel, Kehinde Ogunwumiju, SAN, had told the court that Achimugu was committed to honouring the EFCC’s invitation upon her return to Nigeria.
“She had expressed willingness to honour the EFCC invitation on April 29 once she returned to the country,” Ogunwumiju submitted, urging the court to maintain her previous bail conditions.
However, EFCC’s legal team countered that the application was speculative and unfounded, noting that Achimugu had violated her previous administrative bail terms. “Her rights have never been breached,” the EFCC counsel argued, insisting that the commission acted within the bounds of the law.
