President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of Rotimi Oyedepo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, as the new Director of Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice. The appointment will take effect following the retirement of the current Director, Abubakar Babadoko, who is set to leave office on December 31, 2025, after completing his statutory term.
The approval was conveyed through a letter dated December 23 and signed by Omolabake Mafe on behalf of the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission. The letter confirmed that Oyedepo was transferred from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to the Federal Civil Service in the interest of the public.
Oyedepo is expected to take over the role with the task of strengthening government prosecutions and reducing the need for external lawyers in key criminal cases. His appointment is also aimed at ensuring a more unified legal approach in federal cases.
He studied law at the University of Ilorin and graduated in 2007 before attending the Nigerian Law School in 2008. Oyedepo spent over 15 years at the EFCC, where he handled complex financial and economic crime cases and also served as Head of the Monitoring Unit.
During his time at the EFCC, he was part of the legal team that represented Nigeria in the Process and Industrial Development case against the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He also received awards for his work, including EFCC Outstanding Staff of the Year in 2014 and Best Financial Crimes Prosecutor in 2019.
With this appointment, Oyedepo is expected to bring his experience in criminal prosecution to bear in supporting the Federal Government’s justice system and ongoing legal reforms.