Prominent business executive Aisha Achimugu has reportedly started a hunger strike after being arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) early Tuesday morning. Her legal team says she was picked up by EFCC officials at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja around 5 a.m., despite voluntarily returning to Nigeria from London to comply with a court order.
Mr. Chikaosolu Ojukwu, SAN, who leads Achimugu’s legal team, issued a statement shortly after her arrest. He said she had planned to visit the EFCC on Tuesday as part of an agreement made in court the previous day. “In light of what transpired in court on Monday, our client returned based on the undertaking before the court to honour the EFCC’s invitation but was arrested at the airport,” Ojukwu said.
The EFCC had declared Achimugu wanted in March over allegations involving money laundering and criminal conspiracy. Her name was published as part of an investigation into what the agency described as financial misconduct. The case has drawn attention, especially after a Federal High Court in Abuja, led by Justice I.E. Ekwo, ordered her to appear before both the EFCC and the court this week.
Achimugu’s arrest, according to her legal team, is being questioned on legal grounds. “She has immediately gone on a hunger strike. She is a prisoner of conscience, and our stand on the arrest is that it has run contrary to the rule of law,” Ojukwu noted.
