The Supreme Court has dismissed appeals that previously prevented the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from investigating former Rivers State Governor, Peter Odili, over his tenure from 1999 to 2007.
In 2007, Odili secured a perpetual injunction from the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, barring the EFCC from investigating him or the Rivers State Government’s finances under his administration. This injunction has protected him from scrutiny for nearly two decades.
However, in 2018, the Court of Appeal ruled that the EFCC could challenge the injunction. The Rivers State Attorney General and the Speaker of the State Assembly subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court, seeking to block the EFCC from reopening the case.
On March 10, 2025, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court, led by Justice John Okoro, dismissed these appeals, ruling that the EFCC is now legally allowed to investigate Odili’s tenure.
The decision marks the end of a prolonged legal battle and clears the way for the EFCC to probe allegations of corruption during Odili’s administration in Rivers State.
