Petroleum Sector Corruption and Anti-Money Laundering Laws: Evidence from EFCC Prosecutions in Abuja

This study analyses anti-corruption and anti-money laundering enforcement in Nigeria's petroleum sector, drawing on Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecution records from the Federal Capital Territory between 2020 and 2024. Petroleum revenues remain a key source of financial crimes in Nigeria, from inflated contract awards to unlawful diversion of federation account proceeds. Using a qualitative doctrinal analysis approach, the research reviews forty EFCC charge sheets and court decisions involving petroleum sector actors, supplemented with interviews conducted with three EFCC officials and two senior legal practitioners in Abuja. Findings indicate that most prosecutions target lower and mid-level actors, while systemic procurement corruption at the executive level remains largely unpunished. The study finds that money laundering provisions in the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022 are underutilised in petroleum crime prosecutions. The research recommends specialised petroleum financial crime units within the EFCC and stronger asset recovery mechanisms. Keywords: corruption, anti-money laundering, EFCC, petroleum sector, Abuja.