EXTRA: ‘Our capacity DG is back’ — energy commission announces Abdullahi’s return after EFCC arrest

EXTRA: ‘Our capacity DG is back’ — energy commission announces Abdullahi’s return after EFCC arrest

The Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) says Mustapha Abdullahi has resumed duty at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja following his arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged money laundering offences.

In a post on X on Thursday, the commission described Abdullahi as its “capacity DG”.

“Our Capacity DG is back!” the commission wrote.

The ECN said the director-general had officially resumed duties at the agency’s headquarters and expressed gratitude to God and President Bola Tinubu.

TheCable had reported that EFCC operatives arrested Abdullahi in Abuja over alleged money laundering offences involving more than N500 billion.

The anti-graft agency was said to have taken the ECN boss into custody for further investigation.

Tinubu appointed Abdullahi as director-general and chief executive officer of the commission in October 2023.

Before his appointment, Abdullahi had worked for more than 10 years at the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

In December 2025, 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.