Attempts by an activist, Moses Oddiri, to accuse the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and its Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, of diverting funds belonging to host communities in OML 30, has backfired as the Uherevie Communities Development Trust has exonerated them, Wale Igbintade writes

The truth about the ongoing controversy over the use and custody of the funds meant for Uherevie oil producing host communities in the Niger Delta, is getting clearer with the declaration of the communities that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) did not divert or tamper with their funds.

The communities cleared the air when they described as “false,” the recent claim of alleged diversion of the said funds made by one Barrister Moses Oddiri as published by an online news platform.

“EFCC Did Not Divert Our Funds. Our funds are intact,” Uherevie communities said in a letter written on their behalf by their lawyer, Chief E. J. Etaghene and dated Friday, November 21, 2025.

The letter reads in part: “The attention of our clients have been drawn to several publications made by Mr. Moses Oddiri, falsely alleging that the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has diverted funds meant for communities in OML 30. This is an outright fabrication of falsehood as there is nothing of such. The monies meant for the communities are intact in the Uherevie Communities Development Trust account. The account was not tampered with and was not frozen by the EFCC or any of its officials as wrongly alleged by Mr. Moses Oddiri,” the communities said.

The rebuttal came days after the EFCC also rejected reports alleging that it asked the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest Moses Oddiri, an activist, over a petition he wrote concerning remittances to host-community accounts in Delta State. The anti-graft agency described the publication as “a falsehood taken too far”, adding that it only intervened to ensure that the host-community funds were paid and managed under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). It said Oddiri had been “pushing for the funds to be paid into his NGO’s account, which is contrary to the PIA”, insisting that no DSS arrest was initiated at its instance.

The EFCC vowed “to sue publications Moses Oddiri used to “fabricate false reports about the alleged abduction of Oddiri by EFCC officials and diversion of funds meant for the communities by EFCC and its Chairman. 

Quoting sources close to the family of Oddiri, the lawyer’s family had alleged that “the arrest appears to be linked to a petition Moses submitted to a fraud investigation unit in London.” 

It added: “The petition reportedly concerns alleged diversion of funds by the EFCC Chairman, funds that were intended for a community that Moses has been advocating for over the years.”

Responding to this claim through a press release, titled ‘Sahara Reporter’s Malicious Publication & Moses Oddiri’s Quest to Privatise Niger Delta Communities’ Funds,” EFCC said: “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission views with serious displeasure insinuations contained in a news story carried by Sahara Reporters, entitled: “DSS Abducts Lawyer Moses Oddiri in Lagos After Petition on Diversion of Funds By EFCC Chairman Olukoyede.” 

It stated: “the story, contrived to portray the arrest of Oddiri “on the orders and petition of the EFCC’s Chairman on alleged diversion of funds intended for a community that Moses has been advocating for over the years,” was a falsehood taken too far. 

“Oddiri’s story is a story of the pursuit of self-interest against communal welfare. The Niger Delta Host Community Trust Fund, paid into the bank accounts of two Host Community Benefit Trusts (HCBTs), as prescribed by the PIA, is the bone of contention. 

“Oddiri wanted the funds paid into his non-governmental organisation (NGO), in flagrant violation of the PIA. The funds, paid in 2024, were lodged in the bank accounts of the two HCBTs,” EFCC said. 

The anti-corruption agency added: “Since the payment was made, Oddiri has been on the offensive against the EFCC and its Executive Chairman, claiming that it was not paid into his NGO account.”  

The anti-graft said further: “Oddiri’s gangster-like moves and campaign of calumny against the EFCC Chairman are not new. His spiteful, malicious, and unfounded claims of diversion of funds by the EFCC’s boss had been circulating on various social media platforms, including Sahara Reporters.  

“The commission is raising a suit against this latest malicious publication by the online portal,” EFCC said. 

Until the concerned communities came out to declare the truth about the use and custody of the host communities funds meant for them, observers were wondering, who, between EFCC and Oddiri was telling lies. The confusion was traced to the positions they maintained as the root cause of the current misunderstanding between them.

In the story, Oddiri was quoted as linking his arrest and detention to the disagreement he allegedly has with EFCC and its Chairman. He linked his alleged abduction and ordeal to a petition he reportedly made against EFCC and its Chairman before a fraud-investigating department in the UK. 

In the petition, he alleged that EFCC top officials diverted huge funds meant for the development of the host communities.

EFCC on its part, pointedly denied this claim, stating that Moses Oddiri is raising dust simply because EFCC refused to force relevant institutions to pay funds meant for the host communities development into Oddiri’s personal NGO, an option EFCC explained is against Petroleum Industry Act.

Now that the concerned communities have published a rejoinder to Oddiri’s claims, describing it as ‘false,’ and confirming that EFCC did not divert any funds meant for them, the truth seems clearer.

In the rejoinder, written on their behalf by Etaghene, entitled “A Rejoinder On The False Allegation of Diversion of Funds Belonging to Communities in OML 30 Operated By Heritage Operational Services Limited By Mr. Moses Oddiri: Stating The Facts And Exposing the Lies of Mr. Moses Oddiri,” the Uherevie communities said: “What happened was that; Mr. Moses Oddiri and other elites from Orogun and Kokori communities wrote a frivolous petition to the EFCC, alleging that the funds accruing to the host communities in OML 30 were fraudulently diverted by Heritage Energy Services and some members of the communities. 

“It was this petition that the EFCC was investigating, prompting it to invite all stakeholders, including NNPC and the regulatory agency. When the EFCC officials interviewed and recorded statements from those invited, they were allowed to go and another day was fixed for further interview.

“Mr. Moses Oddiri and his cohorts were dissatisfied with the modus operandi of the EFCC because they did not detain those they pointed accusation fingers at. 

“Moses Oddiri at this point employed his usual blackmailing tactics by raising a false allegation against the Chairman of the EFCC and the agency itself.

“In view of his unsubstantiated allegation against the EFCC, Mr. Moses Oddiri did not turn up on the last day fixed for further interview and investigation of this matter where all those involved were physically present at the Abuja office of the EFCC. 

“The explanation given by the various communities, oil companies and the regulatory agencies during the said interview threw light on the issue in controversy which required the proof and substantiation of the allegation made by Mr. Oddiri and his cohorts.

“Unfortunately, they were not in attendance and did not make further presentation of evidence to establish their allegation of fraud,” the communities said.

They added: “It is obvious that the essence of Moses Oddiri’s petition is to use the EFCC to bring those at the helm of affairs of the community to a negotiation table in order for him and his cohorts to reap where they did not sow.”

The false allegation now being peddled against the EFCC and its Chairman is a blackmail tactics aimed at hoodwinking the EFCC and its Chairman to wrongly and unlawfully deal with our clients and all those wrongly accused of committing fraud,” the communities said through their lawyer. 

With this revelation of the truth by the concerned communities, it seems the controversy over the use and custody of the funds meant for the Uherevie communities may have been settled at last.

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