President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr 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.

Oyedepo’s transfer of service from the EFCC to the mainstream federal civil service was conveyed in a letter dated December 23 and signed by Mrs Omolabake Mafe on behalf of the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission.

Confirming the appointment on Tuesday, the Director of Information and Public Relations at the State House, Mr Abiodun Oladunjoye, said the decision was taken in the public interest.

He explained that Oyedepo would replace Mr Abubakar Babadoko, who is due to retire on December 31, 2025, after completing the mandatory eight-year tenure as a director.

“The appointment of Mr Oyedepo as Director of Public Prosecutions fills the vacancy created by the impending retirement of Mr Abubakar Babadoko,” the statement said.

Oyedepo, a 2007 law graduate of the University of Ilorin who was called to the Bar in 2008, is expected to deploy his vast prosecutorial experience to strengthen government litigation and reduce reliance on external legal counsel in high-profile cases.

The new DPP has over 15 years’ experience handling complex economic and financial crime prosecutions at the EFCC, where he previously served as head of the commission’s monitoring unit.

He was also a key member of the Federal Government’s legal team in the landmark P&ID arbitration case.

Oyedepo has received several awards for outstanding performance, including EFCC Outstanding Staff of the Year in 2014 and Best Financial Crimes Prosecutor in 2019.