{"id":507,"date":"2026-10-13T19:03:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T19:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/13\/court-dismisses-akwa-ibom-governments-suit-challenging-efcc-powers\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T19:03:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T19:03:00","slug":"court-dismisses-akwa-ibom-governments-suit-challenging-efcc-powers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/13\/court-dismisses-akwa-ibom-governments-suit-challenging-efcc-powers\/","title":{"rendered":"Court dismisses Akwa Ibom government\u2019s suit challenging EFCC powers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has dismissed a suit filed by the Akwa Ibom State Government challenging the powers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC<\/a><\/strong>) to investigate the state\u2019s financial activities.<\/p>\n

The EFCC disclosed this in a statement posted on its official Facebook page on Tuesday, saying that Justice M.A. Onyetenu dismissed the suit on 8 October after upholding a preliminary objection filed by the commission\u2019s legal team.<\/p>\n

The state\u2019s then Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Uwemedimo Nwoko, instituted the suit in 2017 after an EFCC investigation into allegations that state resources had been diverted from their intended purposes.<\/p>\n

The dismissal ends the federal court proceedings in the suit n the EFCC\u2019s view. Still, it does not amount to a substantive determination that triggered the investigation or a definitive ruling on the court\u2019s jurisdiction over state finances.<\/p>\n

The commission said the judge upheld its objection that the suit was incompetent because a similar case instituted earlier at the Akwa Ibom State High Court in Ikot Ekpene remained pending when the federal action was commenced.<\/p>\n

The EFCC\u2019s counsel, Joshua Abolarin, argued that the existence of the earlier suit made the subsequent action at the Federal High Court procedurally defective.<\/p>\n

\n\"PT<\/a><\/div>\n
\"Dangote<\/a><\/div>\n

Justice Onyetenu upheld the objection and dismissed the suit in its entirety, according to the commission.<\/p>\n

How the dispute began<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The dispute dates back to 2016, when some Akwa Ibom residents petitioned the EFCC over the alleged diversion of state resources meant for public welfare and development.<\/p>\n

The commission said it opened an investigation and invited some state government officials to be questioned.<\/p>\n

Rather than honour the invitations, the officials approached the Akwa Ibom State High Court in Ikot Ekpene through the state Attorney-General, challenging the commission\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n

The state government also instituted a separate suit at the Federal High Court, contesting the EFCC\u2019s authority to investigate the state government\u2019s financial activities.<\/p>\n

On 6 July 2016, the late Justice F.O. Riman granted an interim restraining order against the EFCC and other federal government agencies pending the case\u2019s determination, according to the commission.<\/p>\n

The order was later used to resist the commission\u2019s attempts to invite state officials for questioning.<\/p>\n

An appeal against the restraining order was unsuccessful, with the Court of Appeal directing the parties to return to the trial court and await the determination of the substantive suit, the EFCC said.<\/p>\n

The commission later challenged the committal suit\u2019s competence, arguing that the earlier case before the State High Court had not been resolved before the second action.<\/p>\n

READ ALSO:\u00a0Police in Akwa Ibom arrest two over alleged machete attacks, robberies<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

What the ruling means<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The latest ruling is a procedural victory for the EFCC in its protracted legal dispute with the Akwa Ibom government.<\/p>\n

By upholding the preliminary objection, the court dismissed the suit on the grounds the commission advanced, rather than determining the underlying allegations of financial misconduct, according to information released by the EFCC.<\/p>\n

The dismissal does not prove that public funds were diverted or that any state official committed an offence, nor does the commission\u2019s announcement show whether the separate case at the Akwa Ibom State High Court has since been determined.<\/p>\n

The ruling nevertheless removes the federal suit as a vehicle for the state government\u2019s challenge to the commission\u2019s investigation, subject to any further legal steps available to the parties.<\/p>\n

The EFCC is a federal agency established to investigate and prosecute economic and financial crimes. Disputes over its investigative powers have periodically generated litigation involving public officials and government institutions<\/p>\n

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