A Federal High Court sitting 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 for financial records was too broad and lacked specific allegations of wrongdoing.
Justice Nkeonye Maha, who delivered the judgment on Wednesday, also nullified the EFCC’s June 2, 2025 letter to the Oyo State Accountant-General requesting extensive financial documents from the state government.
The case, marked FHC/IB/CS/61/2025, was filed by Governor Seyi Makinde, the state’s Attorney-General and the Accountant-General.
According to a statement issued by Sulaimon Olanrewaju, Special Adviser on Media to Governor Makinde, the court ruled that although the EFCC has the legal authority to investigate financial crimes, such powers must be exercised within the provisions of the Constitution and the rule of law.
The judge held that any request for information by the commission must be based on specific and identifiable allegations, not broad or speculative inquiries.
The court held that Section 38 of the EFCC Act empowers the commission to obtain information only for the investigation of offences under the Act and does not permit speculative or blanket investigations into government finances.
Justice Maha further ruled that the commission’s request was excessively broad and failed to provide the level of specificity required to justify such a sweeping demand for official records.
“The constitutional rights of the plaintiffs to fair hearing cannot be trampled upon under the guise of investigation,” the court held.
Court documents showed that the EFCC had requested copies of all contracts awarded by the Oyo State Government and details of payments made to contractors from 2021 up to the date of the request.
The Oyo State Government argued that the request was oppressive, unreasonable and too wide in scope, considering the large number of projects executed during the period.
Represented by the state’s Attorney-General, Abiodun Aikomo, the government maintained that anti-corruption investigations must be evidence-driven and based on clearly identified allegations rather than sweeping demands covering years of government transactions.
Before approaching the court, the state said it had written to the EFCC asking the commission to identify the contractors or companies under investigation so that the relevant documents could be produced.
However, the government claimed the commission failed to respond, prompting the lawsuit.
In its defence, the EFCC relied on Section 38 of the EFCC Act, arguing that it has the authority to request information from public institutions as part of its investigative duties.
But the court rejected that argument, stressing that the commission’s investigative powers are not unlimited and must always comply with constitutional safeguards, including the right to a fair hearing.
The ruling means the EFCC cannot proceed with the disputed request for Oyo State’s financial records in its current form.
