A civil society organization, CSO, the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education, CHRICED, has expressed concern over a lawsuit filed by Kogi State, with the support of other states, to challenge the legality of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
IgbereTV reports that the suit filed at the Supreme Court by the Kogi State Government against the Federal Government, is also challenging the powers of the EFCC to probe state government finances.
At a hearing on October 8, 2024, the Supreme Court granted the request of 15 other states to be made parties to the suit as co-plaintiff with Kogi.
The 15 states are Ondo, Edo, Oyo, Ogun, Nassarawa, Kebbi, Katsina, Sokoto, Jigawa, Enugu, Benue, Anambra, Plateau, Cross-River and Niger.
In a statement on Saturday, CHRICED Executive Director, Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi, noted that the suit is a “new level of corruption fighting back.”
According to Zikirullahi, the move by the states to question the constitutionality of the EFCC signals a troubling attempt to undermine the authority of the anti-graft agency and thereby entrench corruption in Nigeria’s governance.
Zikirullahi noted that the state governments involved in the lawsuit do not represent their constituents’ views, stressing that their action marks a significant setback in the fight against corruption
