President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, a senior prosecutor at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), as the new Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the Federal Ministry of Justice.
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The appointment, which takes immediate effect, involves the transfer of service of Mr Oyedepo from the EFCC to the mainstream Federal Civil Service.
It was conveyed in a letter dated 23 December 2025, signed by Omolabake Mafe on behalf of the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC). According to the letter, the appointment was made in the public interest.
Mr Oyedepo will fill the vacancy created by the impending retirement of the outgoing DPP, Abubakar Babadoko, who is due to complete the mandatory eight-year tenure as a director on 31 December 2025.
A seasoned legal practitioner, Rotimi Oyedepo is a 2007 Law graduate of the University of Ilorin and was called to the Bar after attending the Nigerian Law School in 2008.
He has spent over 15 years at the EFCC, where he built a reputation as one of Nigeria’s most formidable prosecutors of complex economic and financial crimes.
During his time at the anti-graft agency, Mr Oyedepo prosecuted several high-profile corruption cases and also served as Head of the EFCC Monitoring Unit.
He was a key member of the Federal Government’s legal team in the landmark Process and Industrial Developments (P&ID) arbitration case, widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most consequential international legal battles.
His outstanding service earned him multiple recognitions, including EFCC Outstanding Staff of the Year (2014) and Best Financial Crimes Prosecutor (2019).
As Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Oyedepo is expected to deploy his extensive prosecutorial expertise to strengthen federal prosecutions, reduce the government’s dependence on external legal counsel, and promote greater coherence, efficiency, and consistency in the Federal Government’s criminal justice strategy.
The appointment has been welcomed in legal and policy circles as a strategic move aimed at reinforcing Nigeria’s anti-corruption framework and enhancing prosecutorial effectiveness within the Ministry of Justice.
Federal Ministry of Justice updates
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
