Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested the Director‑General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), Dr Mustapha Abdullahi, in connection with an alleged money laundering scheme involving more than N500 billion. The arrest took place in Abuja on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, just hours after the Federal High Court sentenced a former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, to 75 years in prison for a separate N33.8 billion fraud.
According to multiple sources familiar with the operation, Abdullahi was picked up after he failed to honour two separate invitations extended to him by the anti‑graft agency regarding an ongoing investigation into financial transactions at the commission. A source who spoke on condition of anonymity told Daily Trust that a warrant of arrest was obtained before the ECN chief was taken into lawful custody. “Yes, we have arrested him (the Director‑General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Dr Mustapha Abdullahi), for alleged money laundering offences. He was arrested and is currently in our custody. The money is to the tune of about N500bn,” the source said.
The EFCC is said to be examining suspicious movements of funds running into hundreds of billions of naira, with investigators focusing on contract awards, disbursement of intervention funds, and other financial dealings under the agency’s supervision. A source disclosed to Vanguard that Abdullahi was grilled by interrogators until evening on Wednesday and has been detained while investigations continue. Another source told Independent that the probe centres on alleged diversion of public funds, contract inflation, and money laundering involving over N500 billion traced to projects executed under the commission during his tenure.
Abdullahi was appointed as Director‑General and Chief Executive Officer of the Energy Commission of Nigeria by President Bola Tinubu on October 24, 2023. Before that appointment, he served as Senior Technical Adviser to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, and had worked for more than ten years in the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). He holds a PhD in Engineering from the University of Manchester and is a chartered engineer.
The arrest comes amid heightened anti‑graft scrutiny of federal agencies. In December 2025, a civil society organisation, the Network Against Corruption and Drug Trafficking (NACAT), petitioned President Tinubu, the EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), alleging that the ECN DG engaged in a “well‑coordinated and brazen scheme” involving the illegal award of solar streetlight contracts worth hundreds of millions of naira to five companies allegedly owned and controlled by the same individuals. The CSO alleged that all five companies were registered within a single week in late October and early November 2023, shared similar addresses in Abuja, and had the same directors.
As of press time, the EFCC had not issued an official statement on the arrest. Attempts to reach the commission’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, were unsuccessful. The Energy Commission has also not commented on the allegations against its Director‑General. Abdullahi remains in EFCC custody as interrogations continue.
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