Following the suit filed against the constitutionality of the laws that establish the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Supreme Court has reserved its judgment and would communicate a date to the parties involved in the case.
Sixteen state governments had filed a suit at the Supreme Court to challenge the legality of the establishment of the country’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The case, presided over by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji and a seven-member panel of justices, reached this phase on Tuesday after hearing the positions of the involved parties’ attorneys.
Originally initiated by the Kogi State Government through its Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, the suit has seen multiple states join as co-plaintiffs.
The states involved in the suit, marked SC/CV/178/2023, include Ondo, Edo, Oyo, Ogun, Nasarawa, Kebbi, Katsina, Sokoto, Jigawa, Enugu, Benue, Anambra, Plateau, Cross-River, and Niger.
At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, Imo, Bauchi, and Osun states joined the suit as co-plaintiffs while Anambra, Ebonyi, and Adamawa states announced their decisions to withdraw their suits.
The calls for the scrapping of the agency have continued to trigger debates among stakeholders. However, the agency accused the governors of trying to derail the EFCC’s efforts at combating corruption which has continued to become a huge issue in Nigeria.
The Director of Public Affairs in the EFCC Wilson Uwujaren said the struggle for the scrapping of the agency is because governors are “feeling the heat” of the anti-graft body’s work. According to him, if the agency is scrapped, Nigeria cannot survive.
The suit addresses critical questions about the federal scope of anti-corruption enforcement, challenging the legal foundation of the EFCC’s establishment under current laws.
While the activities of the EFCC have come under criticism and scrutiny in recent times, it is no doubt that their presence forces perpetrators to rethink their actions. The decision of the Supreme Court is keely awaited by all.
