President Bola Tinubu has approved the transfer of service of Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, to the mainstream Federal Civil Service as the Director of Public Prosecutions, in the Federal Ministry of Justice.
A letter dated 23 December, signed by Omolabake Mafe on behalf of the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, stated that Mr Oyedepo’s appointment was made in the public interest.
Mr Oyedepo, as DPP, will fill the vacancy occasioned by the retirement of Abubakar Babadoko, who will attain the mandatory eight years as a director on 31 December 2025.Mr Oyedepo is a 2007 Law graduate from the University of Ilorin and attended the Law School in 2008.
During his long service at the EFCC, he specialised in the prosecution of complex economic and financial crimes and rose to become head of the commission’s Monitoring Unit.
He was also a key member of the Federal Government’s legal team in the landmark arbitration dispute Process and Industrial Development vs The Federal Republic of Nigeria, widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most consequential international legal battles.
According to the statement, the new DPP is to deploy his expertise to strengthen the quality and coordination of federal prosecutions, reduce reliance on external counsel in high-profile cases, and ensure greater coherence and consistency in the Federal Government’s legal strategies.
Oyedepo’s professional excellence has previously earned him recognition, including the EFCC Outstanding Staff of the Year award in 2014 and the Best Financial Crimes Prosecutor award in 2019.
Author: Dr Funmi Beckley
fumbeck@gmail.com
Abeokuta, Nigeria
