Nigeria: Court Stops EFCC's Planned Probe of Oyo Finances, Faults 'Fishing Expedition'

What the report says

Premium Times, distributed by AllAfrica, reports that the Federal High Court in Ibadan has blocked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from continuing a planned inquiry into Oyo State Government finances. Justice Nkeonye Maha delivered judgment on Wednesday in suit FHC/IB/CS/61/2025, filed by the Oyo State Government, and set aside an EFCC letter dated 2 June 2025 to the state Accountant General seeking broad financial records.

According to the report, the court held that although the EFCC has legal authority to investigate financial crimes, that power must be used within constitutional limits and tied to identifiable allegations. The judge found that the commission’s demand for records, including contracts and contractor payments from 2021 onward, was too wide and amounted to a speculative “fishing expedition.” The state, represented by Attorney General Abiodun Aikomo, argued that the request was oppressive and should have specified the contractors, companies or transactions under investigation.

The EFCC’s lawyer, I.G. Ojibor, relied on Section 38 of the EFCC Act, arguing that the agency may demand information from public bodies and organisations as part of its investigative mandate. The court rejected an unlimited reading of that provision, saying requests for documents must be reasonable and linked to an offence under the Act. Premium Times cited a statement by Sulaimon Olarewaju, media adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde, on aspects of the judgment.

The decision is significant because it sits uneasily with previous judicial warnings against stopping anti-corruption agencies from carrying out statutory duties. Premium Times notes that it also follows a 2024 Supreme Court ruling affirming federal anti-corruption agencies’ powers to investigate and prosecute crimes involving state and federal actors.