Court bars EFCC from investigating Oyo State finances, calls request “fishing expedition”

● Justice Maha rules EFCC must tie demands to specific allegations, not blanket inquiries

A Federal High Court in Ibadan has restrained the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, from proceeding with its planned investigation into the finances of the Oyo State Government, describing the move as speculative.

Delivering judgement on Wednesday in suit FHC/IB/CS/61/2025, Justice Nkeonye Maha held that while the EFCC has statutory powers to probe financial crimes, those powers must be exercised within the Constitution and the Rule of Law.

—Background of the dispute—

The suit was filed by the Oyo State Government after the EFCC wrote to the State Accountant General on June 2, 2025.

The Commission demanded copies of all state contracts and details of all payments to contractors from 2021 to the date of the letter.

The state responded, asking the EFCC to specify the contractors or companies under investigation so relevant documents could be provided.

When the EFCC did not reply, Oyo State went to court.

Plaintiffs in the case were the Governor of Oyo State, the Attorney General, and the Accountant General.

They were represented by Attorney General Abiodun Aikomo.

The government argued that the EFCC’s request, covering several years of transactions, was oppressive, unduly burdensome and unreasonable.

It maintained that investigations must be evidence-driven and that the Commission cannot embark on “roving inquiries” without specific allegations.

—Court’s decision—

Justice Maha set aside the EFCC’s June 2, 2025 letter.

He ruled that any request by the Commission must be reasonable and tied to specific allegations.

“The constitutional rights of the plaintiffs to fair hearing cannot be trampled upon under the guise of investigation,” the judge said.

On the EFCC’s reliance on Section 38 of the EFCC Act 2004, which allows it to demand information from any authority, the court said the provision only applies where there is an investigation of offences under the Act, not for speculative or blanket inquiries.

EFCC counsel I. G. Ojibor, with S. Adamu, had argued that Section 38 entitled the Commission to conduct a wide-ranging probe of the state’s finances.

—What it means—

The ruling limits the EFCC to targeted requests backed by concrete allegations, rather than broad demands for years of financial records.

The judgement was delivered at the Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.