The Supreme Court is set to deliver a critical ruling today in a case brought by 16 state governments challenging the constitutional validity of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
These states have questioned the legal foundation of the EFCC’s laws, claiming that the anti-graft agency’s operations lack a constitutional basis. This ruling is expected to have far-reaching implications for the EFCC’s activities across the country.
The legal battle stems from a previous Supreme Court decision in the case of Dr. Joseph Nwobike vs. the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which upheld the EFCC Establishment Act, citing its derivation from a United Nations Convention against corruption. The state governments now argue that this act violates Section 12 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which requires that international conventions be ratified by a majority of state assemblies before they can be domesticated into Nigerian law.
The lawsuit, initially filed by Kogi State
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