By Our Reporter

For months, Halimat Adenike Tejuosho was a name on the wanted list of Nigeria’s anti-graft agency.

The 41-year-old businesswoman and South-West zonal coordinator of the women’s wing of the City Boy Movement had been declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of obtaining money by false pretence.

Now, the search has ended.

Tejuosho is in EFCC custody after she was arrested on September 8, according to EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, who confirmed the development to TheCable on Saturday.

“She is in our custody,” Oyewale said.

Her arrest marks another chapter in an investigation that has followed her for more than a year and raised questions about how desperate Nigerians seeking government opportunities can become vulnerable to alleged appointment and contract scams.

The promises that triggered the investigation

Tejuosho, a Lagos indigene and founder of Haleems Integrated Services Limited, was previously interrogated in June 2025 after complaints were made against her.

According to the allegations under investigation, she collected money from individuals after allegedly claiming that she could help secure federal government appointments and lucrative contracts for them.

Investigators also examined allegations that fake appointment letters and forged documents were used to convince some people that government opportunities had been secured.

She was later granted administrative bail while the investigation continued.

But the matter did not disappear.

From political office to wanted status

In April, the EFCC declared Tejuosho wanted over the ongoing investigation and appealed to members of the public with information about her whereabouts to contact the commission or the nearest security agency.

The development also affected her political and organisational role.

The City Boy Movement subsequently suspended her as its South-West zonal coordinator of the women wing, pending the outcome of the investigation.

For a woman who had occupied a visible position within the movement, the suspension marked a dramatic change in circumstances.

Months later, the EFCC says she has now been arrested and remains in its custody.

The allegations against Tejuosho remain allegations at this stage. Her arrest and detention do not amount to a conviction, and the outcome of the EFCC investigation will determine what further legal steps may follow.

For those who allegedly paid money in pursuit of government appointments or contracts, however, the investigation represents a search for answers—and potentially for accountability over promises that may have cost them financially and emotionally.

As the investigation continues, the big question remains: were government opportunities genuinely within reach, or were vulnerable people allegedly being made to pay for promises that never existed?