More crisis looms in Rivers as Supreme Court clears EFCC to investigate Peter Odili

In a landmark decision, Nigeria’s Supreme Court has cleared the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the administration of Dr. Peter Odili, former governor of Rivers State.

The ruling, delivered on March 10, 2025, by a five-member panel led by Justice John Okoro, dismissed appeals by the Rivers State Attorney General and Speaker of the House of Assembly, effectively lifting a long-standing legal barrier that shielded Odili from scrutiny.

Odili, who governed Rivers from 1999 to 2007, had secured a perpetual injunction in 2007 from the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, barring the EFCC from probing his tenure.

The injunction stood for nearly two decades despite repeated attempts by the EFCC to overturn it.

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In 2018, the Court of Appeal granted the EFCC permission to challenge the ruling, a move that prompted the Rivers government to escalate the matter to the Supreme Court.

However, on Monday, the apex court refused to entertain the appeals.

“This is not the type of appeal we hear here,” Justice Okoro remarked, questioning why the case had been brought before the Supreme Court instead of resolving the matter at the appellate level.

With no further legal avenue, the appellants’ counsel, S. A. Somiari, SAN, withdrew the appeals, leading to their dismissal.

With this ruling, the EFCC can now reopen investigations into alleged financial mismanagement during Odili’s tenure.

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The decision also sets a precedent for similar cases where perpetual injunctions have shielded public officials from accountability.

For Odili, once seen as politically untouchable, the verdict marks the end of legal immunity and the beginning of fresh scrutiny.