The ongoing controversy over the management of funds meant for the Uherevie oil-producing host communities in the Niger Delta has taken a new turn, with the communities themselves declaring that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) did not divert or tamper with their money.

The statement came in a letter dated Friday, November 21, 2025, signed by the communities’ lawyer, Chief E. J. Etaghene. The communities described it as “false” claims made by lawyer and activist Moses Oddiri, who had alleged that the EFCC chairman mismanaged the host community funds.

“EFCC did not divert our funds. Our funds are intact,” the letter read in part. “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 rebuttal from the communities followed the EFCC’s own denial of reports claiming it had asked the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest Oddiri over a petition he submitted regarding host-community fund remittances in Delta State. The anti-graft agency described the publication as “a falsehood taken too far” and clarified that its intervention only ensured the funds were properly paid and managed under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

According to EFCC, Oddiri had sought for the funds to be transferred into his non-governmental organisation (NGO), which would have violated the PIA. “The Niger Delta Host Community Trust Fund, paid into the bank accounts of two Host Community Benefit Trusts (HCBTs) in 2024, is the bone of contention,” EFCC stated.

“Oddiri has been on the offensive against the EFCC and its Chairman, claiming that the funds were not paid into his NGO account.”

The commission added that it would pursue legal action against publications that carried what it described as malicious and false reports of Oddiri’s alleged abduction and fund diversion.

Sources close to Oddiri’s family had previously alleged that his arrest was linked to a petition he submitted to a fraud investigation unit in London, which claimed the EFCC chairman diverted huge sums meant for Uherevie communities. EFCC, however, rejected this claim, insisting that Oddiri’s allegations were attempts to redirect community funds into his NGO.

In a detailed rejoinder titled “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 the controversy began with a petition Oddiri and other elites from Orogun and Kokori communities wrote, alleging mismanagement of host community funds.

The EFCC invited all stakeholders, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the regulatory agency, to investigate the petition. During the interviews, the communities, oil companies, and agencies provided explanations and evidence that clarified the situation.

According to the communities’ lawyer, Oddiri and his cohorts did not attend the final day of interviews or provide proof to substantiate their claims. “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 letter read.

The communities emphasised that the false allegations against the EFCC and its chairman were a form of blackmail aimed at pressuring the agency to unlawfully interfere in community matters.

With this statement from the Uherevie communities, the confusion surrounding the use and custody of the OML 30 host community funds appears to have been resolved, with clear confirmation that the EFCC did not divert any money meant for the communities.