EFCC, FBI Close In On Alleged USAID Funds Misuse

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, are set to deepen investigations into the alleged diversion and mismanagement of funds released for US-supported programmes in Nigeria.

The planned joint effort will focus particularly on funds provided to organisations implementing HIV and tuberculosis intervention programmes, following the shutdown of some of the programmes by the United States Government in 2025.

The development followed a meeting on Thursday, September 10, 2026, when Macus Maccain, Assistant Law Enforcement Attaché of the FBI, led a delegation to the Lagos office of the EFCC’s Acting Zonal Director, Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE I Bawa Usman Kaltungo.

Maccain said the visit was aimed at strengthening existing cooperation between the two agencies, particularly through intelligence sharing and coordinated investigations into financial irregularities involving organisations that received funds under programmes supported by the United States Agency for International Development, USAID.

He explained that concerns emerged after some USAID-supported programmes were discontinued in 2025, leaving questions about how funds already released to implementing organisations were subsequently managed. Some of the organisations are suspected of mismanaging or allegedly diverting funds that remained with them after the programmes were terminated.

Jeremy Kennon, Special Agent with the Office of Inspector General, Department of State, said the United States and Nigeria had previously entered into an agreement to support HIV and tuberculosis interventions, with both governments providing funding to organisations responsible for implementing the programmes.

Kennon disclosed that some of the organisations established one-stop centres where people could access HIV treatment, but subsequent reviews uncovered concerns including inflated budgets and other financial irregularities in Kano State and several other states.

He stressed that the concerns were not restricted to Nigeria, noting that similar issues had been identified in other parts of the world. He said the FBI wanted to establish a long-term working relationship with the EFCC, including reciprocal exchange of information.

Responding, Kaltungo welcomed the FBI delegation on behalf of EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, and described the relationship between Nigeria and the United States as a longstanding law enforcement partnership. He assured the team that the commission would investigate the allegations across the country and trace the movement of the funds to their ultimate beneficiaries.

Kaltungo said investigators would determine how the money was spent, whether it was used for the purposes for which it was provided and whether any portion was mismanaged or diverted after the programmes were cancelled. He also assured the delegation that the investigation would cover all states where the affected organisations and programmes operated.

The EFCC and FBI collaboration comes amid continued US scrutiny of the management of American-funded assistance programmes globally, with US investigators routinely pursuing allegations involving fraud, embezzlement, diversion and other forms of financial misconduct affecting taxpayer-funded foreign assistance.

The latest engagement could therefore expand the financial investigation beyond individual organisations, as both agencies work to establish the full trail of the funds and determine whether any criminal or financial misconduct occurred.

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