President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr Rotimi Iseoluwa Oyedepo, SAN, as the new Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the Federal Ministry of Justice, in a move aimed at strengthening the Federal Government’s prosecutorial framework.
The approval followed Oyedepo’s transfer of service from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to the mainstream Federal Civil Service. A letter dated December 23, conveying the decision, was signed by Mrs Omolabake Mafe on behalf of the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, citing public interest as the basis for the appointment.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Director of Information and Public Relations in the Presidency, Mr Abiodun Oladunjoye, said the appointment fills the vacancy created by the impending retirement of the incumbent DPP, Mr Abubakar Babadoko, who completes his mandatory eight-year tenure as a director today.
Oyedepo, a 2007 graduate of Law from the University of Ilorin who was called to the Bar in 2008, brings more than 15 years of prosecutorial experience to the role. His career has been largely defined by his work at the EFCC, where he handled high-profile cases involving complex economic and financial crimes.
During his time at the anti-graft agency, he rose to become Head of the Monitoring Unit and played a strategic role in several landmark prosecutions. He was also a key member of the Federal Government’s legal team in the high-stakes arbitration dispute between Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) and the Federal Republic of Nigeria, widely regarded as one of the country’s most consequential international legal battles.
According to the Presidency, Oyedepo is expected to leverage his expertise to enhance the quality and coordination of federal prosecutions, reduce dependence on external legal counsel in sensitive cases, and promote consistency and coherence in the government’s legal strategy.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Oyedepo has earned professional recognition over the years, including the EFCC Outstanding Staff of the Year award in 2014 and the Best Financial Crimes Prosecutor award in 2019.
