Only $50,000, N13m found in my house, not $13m – Achimugu

Businesswoman, Aisha Achimugu, has dismissed reports that $13 million was recovered from her residence during a raid by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

She said the actual amounts found were $50,000 and N13 million.

Achimugu made the clarification on Monday during an interview on Channels Television.

The EFCC had declared her wanted last year over alleged criminal conspiracy and money laundering, following which a Federal High Court in Abuja upheld the final forfeiture of $13 million linked to her company, Oceangate Engineering Oil and Gas Ltd, to the Federal Government in March.

The commission had alleged that Oceangate conspired with unlicensed Bureau de Change operators and bank officials to source the funds in cash, suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity, to pay signature bonuses on two oil blocks acquired in 2024.

Speaking on the $13 million claim, Achimugu said the matter was already before the court and declined to go into further detail, but was emphatic that the figure was wrong.

She said, “First, I won’t go so much into the detail of $13 million. As you know, it’s a matter in court. It will be prejudice for me to talk about, you know, what’s already in court. And I still believe strongly in our judicial system in Nigeria. So I know that the right decisions will be made at the due time.

But let me also correct an impression that $13 million was not found in my house when my house was raided.

“My house was raided, yes, but only $50,000 and N13 million naira belonging to my mom was found in my house, and then again, my personal belonging.

“I don’t know where Nigerians got the impression that I had $13 million in my house. I’m not a bank, so I won’t keep $13 million in my house. I have kids who go to school abroad, so it’s important that you have those currencies kept away for emergencies.”

Achimugu also disputed a statement published on the EFCC’s website, saying she did not consider it a valid legal document.

She said, “Let me also correct that what is published on the website of EFCC is certain state. I want to believe that it is not Lagos state because the state was not clear. So it’s what is out there. So I won’t also, you know, entertain that it is Lagos because that hasn’t been thrown at me.”

On how Oceangate came to acquire the contested oil blocks, she said the company participated in two rounds of the Federal Government’s oil licensing process, one covering deep offshore bids between 2022 and 2023 and a mini bid round between 2023 and 2024, and emerged successful.

“We went through that process and by the grace of God we won the process very transparently. It was a public process, it wasn’t selective,” she said