The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have commenced moves to investigate the alleged diversion and mismanagement of funds released under United States government-supported HIV and tuberculosis programmes in Nigeria.
The two agencies reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening intelligence sharing and operational cooperation during a meeting on Thursday, September 10, 2026, when an FBI delegation visited the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC.
The delegation was led by Marcus Maccain, Assistant Law Enforcement Attaché, FBI, while the Acting Zonal Director of the EFCC, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE I Bawa Usman Kaltungo, received the team on behalf of the Commission’s Chairman, Ola Olukoyede.
Speaking during the interactive session, Maccain said the visit was aimed at deepening existing cooperation in investigating financial irregularities involving organisations that received funds under programmes supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
He said the concerns became necessary following the shutdown of some USAID programmes by the United States Government in 2025.
According to him, the termination of the programmes raised questions about the management of funds that remained with implementing organisations after the projects were discontinued.
He said some organisations were suspected of mismanaging or 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,” Maccain said.
Also speaking, Jeremy Kennon, a Special Agent with the 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 implementing the programmes, some of which established one-stop centres for HIV treatment.
Kennon, however, said subsequent reviews had uncovered concerns over inflated budgets and other financial irregularities in Kano State and several other states.
He stressed that the concerns were not limited to Nigeria, noting that similar issues had been identified in different parts of the world.
“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 assured the delegation that the EFCC would investigate the allegations across Nigeria and trace the movement of the funds to their ultimate beneficiaries.
He said the process would help investigators 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 following the cancellation of the programmes.”
Kaltungo added that the investigation would be coordinated and cover all states where the affected organisations and programmes operated.
He further assured the FBI that the Commission would work with the agency to follow the financial trail and establish the facts surrounding the alleged diversion of the funds.
