There are strong indications that some Nigerian non-governmental organisations may soon face investigation over the handling of funds received under programmes backed by the United States Agency for International Development, USAID.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, have resolved to jointly probe allegations of diversion and mismanagement of the funds, with particular focus on organisations that implemented HIV and tuberculosis interventions.
The EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.
According to the statement, the decision followed a visit by an FBI delegation led by Macus Maccain, Assistant Law Enforcement AttachƩ, to the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC on Thursday.
Maccain and his team were received by the Acting Zonal Director, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE I Bawa Usman Kaltungo.
Oyewale said the meeting was centred on deepening strategic collaboration, intelligence sharing and operational synergy between both agencies in investigating the alleged diversion of funds provided under US Government-supported programmes.
Speaking during the visit, Maccain explained that the engagement became necessary following the shutdown of some USAID programmes by the United States Government in 2025.
He noted that the shutdown raised concerns over how funds still in the custody of some implementing organisations were managed after the programmes were discontinued.
According to him, some of the organisations are suspected of mismanaging or diverting funds that had been provided to them before the affected programmes were terminated.
“We are seeking stronger engagement with the EFCC to establish how the funds were managed and identify possible financial misconduct arising from the termination of the programmes,” Maccain said.
Also speaking, Jeremy Kennon, a Special Agent with the Office of Inspector General, Department of State, recalled that the United States and Nigerian governments had previously entered into an agreement to support the fight against HIV and tuberculosis.
He explained that both governments provided funding to organisations implementing related programmes, with some of the organisations establishing one-stop centres for HIV treatment.
Kennon, however, disclosed that subsequent reviews uncovered concerns over inflated budgets and other financial irregularities in Kano State and several other states.
He was quick to add that the concerns were not limited to Kano or Nigeria, noting that similar issues had been identified in other parts of the world.
According to him, the FBI is interested in building a long-term working relationship with the EFCC on the matter, including reciprocal information sharing.
“We’ll like to work with the EFCC on this on a long-term basis, and we’ll be sharing information with you; not just getting information from you,” he said.
Responding, Kaltungo welcomed the delegation on behalf of the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, and described the relationship between Nigeria and the United States as a long-standing one, particularly in the area of law enforcement cooperation.
He assured the delegation that the Commission would investigate the allegations surrounding the diversion or mismanagement of USAID funds across the country and trace the movement of the funds to their ultimate beneficiaries.
According to him, tracing the funds and identifying the beneficiaries would enable investigators to establish how the money was spent, whether it was deployed for the purposes for which it was provided, and whether any portion was mismanaged or diverted after the cancellation of the programmes.
Kaltungo further assured that the investigation would be coordinated and would cover all states where the affected organisations and programmes operated.
He added that the Commission would work with the FBI to follow the financial trail and establish the facts surrounding the alleged diversion of the funds.
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