EFCC, FBI Partner to Trace USAID Funds for HIV, TB Programmes

By Joseph Sunday

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, have agreed to strengthen collaboration to investigate the alleged diversion and mismanagement of funds under U.S. Government-supported programmes in Nigeria.

The agreement was reached on Thursday, September 10, 2026, during a courtesy visit by an FBI delegation to the Acting Zonal Director of the EFCC Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, Assistant Commander Bawa Usman Kaltungo.

The FBI delegation was led by Assistant Law Enforcement Attaché, Marcus Maccain.

Maccain said the visit was aimed at deepening existing cooperation, intelligence sharing and operational synergy in probing alleged financial irregularities involving organisations that received funding from the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, particularly for HIV and tuberculosis interventions.

He explained that the probe became necessary following the shutdown of some USAID programmes by the U.S. Government in 2025, which raised concerns over how funds left with implementing organisations were managed after the programmes were discontinued.

“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, Special Agent Jeremy Kennon of the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of State, said the U.S. and Nigerian governments had jointly funded organisations implementing HIV and TB programmes, including the establishment of one-stop treatment centres.

Kennon said subsequent reviews uncovered concerns over inflated budgets and other financial irregularities in Kano State and other states, adding that similar issues had been identified in other parts of the world.

He said the FBI was seeking a long-term partnership with the EFCC built on reciprocal information sharing.

“We would like to work with the EFCC on this on a long-term basis, and we will be sharing information with you; not just getting information from you,” he said.

In his response, Kaltungo, who received the delegation on behalf of EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, described Nigeria-U.S. law enforcement cooperation as long-standing and assured that the Commission would investigate the allegations nationwide.

He said the EFCC would trace the movement of the funds to their ultimate beneficiaries to establish how they were spent and whether any portion was mismanaged or diverted after the cancellation of the programmes.

According to him, the investigation will cover all states where the affected organisations operated.