The Supreme Court has dismissed appeals filed by the Attorney General of Rivers State and the Speaker of the State House of Assembly challenging the Court of Appeal’s decision that allowed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to contest a 2007 order barring it from investigating former Rivers State Governor, Dr. Peter Odili.
LEADERSHIP recalls that Odili served as governor from 1999 to 2007.
The ruling by a five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice John Okoro, has effectively removed the legal barrier preventing the EFCC from investigating Odili’s administration.
This marks the conclusion of the Commission’s long-standing legal battle to probe his eight-year tenure in the oil-rich state.
According to EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale, the legal dispute began in 2007 when Odili secured a perpetual injunction from the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, shielding himself from investigation, arrest, or prosecution by the EFCC and barring scrutiny of the state’s finances during his tenure.
While the EFCC has contested the ruling since 2008, the injunction has prevented any investigation for nearly two decades.
In 2018, the Court of Appeal granted the EFCC leave to challenge the Federal High Court’s ruling, prompting separate appeals from the Attorney General of Rivers State and the Speaker of the State House of Assembly to overturn that decision at the Supreme Court.
At a hearing on March 10, 2025, the Supreme Court, led by Justice Okoro, questioned the merit of the appeal, noting that it was interlocutory.
The appellants’ lawyer, S. A. Somiari, SAN, argued that the appeal contested the leave granted to the EFCC. However, Justice Okoro interjected, stating, “This is not the type of appeal we hear here,” and advised the parties to return to the Court of Appeal
Credit: Leadership except headline
