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, ruling that the anti-graft agency’s request amounted to a speculative exercise not backed by specific allegations.
Delivering judgment on Tuesday, Justice Nkeonye Maha affirmed that while the EFCC has the statutory authority to investigate financial crimes, such powers must be exercised within the limits of the Constitution and the rule of law.
The court held that the Commission’s proposed investigation, particularly its letter dated 2 June 2025 requesting extensive financial records from the Oyo State Government, constituted a “fishing expedition” and risked violating the state’s constitutional right to fair hearing.
The EFCC had directed the Oyo State Accountant-General to submit copies of all contracts entered into by the state, alongside details of payments made to contractors from 2021 up to the date of the request.
Counsel to the Oyo State Government, led by the state’s Attorney General, Barrister Abiodun Aikomo, argued that the sweeping demand was oppressive, unreasonable and placed an excessive burden on the state given the volume of contracts executed during the period.
However, the EFCC, represented by counsel I.G. Ojibor, with S. Adamu, maintained that Section 38 of the EFCC Act 2004 empowers the Commission to demand information from any individual, authority, corporation or government institution without obstruction in the course of its investigations.
Justice Maha disagreed with that interpretation, ruling that the Commission’s powers under the law are not unlimited and must be linked to the investigation of identifiable offences rather than broad, speculative inquiries.
The court subsequently set aside the EFCC’s 2 June 2025 letter and declared that any future request for information must be reasonable, proportionate and based on specific allegations of wrongdoing.
The judgment reinforces the principle that anti-corruption investigations must balance the EFCC’s investigative mandate with constitutional safeguards protecting individuals and institutions from arbitrary or indiscriminate inquiries.
