The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have agreed to deepen cooperation in investigating the alleged diversion and mismanagement of funds provided under United States government-supported programmes in Nigeria.
The commitment was made on Thursday, September 10, 2026, when Marcus Maccain, Assistant Law Enforcement Attaché of the FBI, led a delegation on a courtesy visit to the office of the Acting Zonal Director, Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE I Bawa Usman Kaltungo.
Speaking during the engagement, Maccain said the visit was aimed at strengthening existing cooperation between the two agencies, particularly in investigating alleged financial irregularities involving organisations that received funds under programmes supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
He said the investigation was particularly focused on programmes linked to HIV and tuberculosis interventions, following the shutdown of some USAID-supported programmes by the United States Government in 2025.
According to Maccain, the termination of the programmes raised concerns about the management of funds that remained with some implementing organisations after the projects were discontinued.
He said some of the organisations were suspected of mismanaging or allegedly diverting funds provided to them before the programmes were shut down.
“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,” he said.
Also speaking, Jeremy Kennon, Special Agent, Office of Inspector General, Department of State, said the United States and Nigerian governments had previously entered into an agreement to support the fight against HIV and tuberculosis.
He explained that the Department of State and the Nigerian Government provided funding to organisations responsible for implementing the programmes, with some of the organisations establishing one-stop centres for HIV treatment.
Kennon, however, said subsequent reviews uncovered concerns over inflated budgets and other financial irregularities in Kano State and several other states.
He stressed that the concerns were not restricted to Kano or Nigeria, noting that similar issues had been identified in other parts of the world.
According to him, the FBI was seeking to establish a long-term working relationship with the EFCC on the matter, including reciprocal intelligence 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,” Kennon said.
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 long-standing one, particularly in the area of law enforcement cooperation.”
He assured the delegation that the EFCC would investigate allegations surrounding the diversion or mismanagement of USAID funds across Nigeria and trace the movement of the funds to their ultimate beneficiaries.
According to him, tracing the funds and identifying their beneficiaries would enable investigators to determine “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 following the cancellation of the programmes.”
Kaltungo further assured the FBI delegation that the investigation would be coordinated and extend to all states where the affected organisations and programmes operated.
He added that the EFCC would work closely with the FBI to follow the financial trail and establish the facts surrounding the alleged diversion and mismanagement of the funds.
