The delegation was led by Marcus Maccain, Assistant Law Enforcement Attaché at the FBI, during a courtesy visit to the EFCC zonal office.
The discussion centred on strengthening cooperation between both agencies in investigating alleged financial irregularities involving organisations that received funds under programmes supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), specifically HIV and tuberculosis interventions.
Maccain said the visit followed concerns after the United States Government shut down some USAID-supported programmes in 2025.
He noted that the termination of these programmes raised questions about how implementing organisations managed funds that remained after the projects were discontinued.
Some organisations are suspected of mismanaging or diverting funds allocated to them before the programmes were cancelled.
“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.
A Special Agent with the Office of Inspector General, United States Department of State, Jeremy Kennon, who also spoke during the engagement, said the US and Nigerian governments had previously agreed to fund organisations implementing HIV- and tuberculosis-related programmes in Nigeria.
Kennon claimed that some of these organisations set up one-stop centres for HIV treatment under the initiatives.
He further disclosed that subsequent reviews had revealed concerns over inflated budgets and other financial irregularities in Kano State and several other regions.
He emphasised that such issues were not exclusive to Nigeria, noting similar problems had been identified worldwide.
The US investigator expressed interest in developing a long-term working relationship with the EFCC, including reciprocal intelligence sharing.
“We’d 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, speaking on behalf of EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede, described Nigeria-US law enforcement cooperation as longstanding.
He assured the delegation that the Commission would undertake a coordinated investigation into allegations of diversion or mismanagement of USAID funds nationwide.
Kaltungo said investigators would follow the financial trail to establish how the funds were spent, whether they were used for their intended purposes, and whether any portion was mismanaged or diverted after programme cancellations.
“We will trace the funds to their ultimate beneficiaries and 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,” he said.
He also assured that the investigation would cover all states where the affected organisations and programmes operated, promising close collaboration with American counterparts to uncover the facts.
