The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are investigating alleged diversion and mismanagement of funds provided for HIV and tuberculosis programmes in Nigeria. In a statement on Friday by the agency spokesperson Dele Oyewale, the investigation followed a meeting between officials of the two agencies at the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 in Lagos on Thursday.
The statement noted that the FBI delegation, led by its Assistant Law Enforcement Attaché, Macus Maccain, told the EFCC that some organisations that received funds for the programmes were suspected of mismanaging or diverting money after the U.S. government terminated some of the programmes in 2025.
“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,” Mr Maccain said. The EFCC did not disclose how much money was involved or name the organisations being investigated. Jeremy Kennon, a special agent with the Office of Inspector General of the U.S.
Department of State, revealed that the United States and Nigerian governments had provided funds to organisations implementing HIV and tuberculosis programmes in Nigeria. He explained that some of the organisations established one-stop centres where people received HIV treatment and other services. Mr Kennon stressed that reviews of the programmes had raised concerns about inflated budgets and other financial irregularities in Kano State and other parts of Nigeria.
He stated that the FBI wanted to establish a long-term working relationship with the EFCC to investigate the matter and other related cases. “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.