A Federal High Court in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, on Friday, July 5, 2024, dismissed an application by five Oyo kingmakers seeking to prevent the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from investigating them for alleged bribery.
In separate judgments, Justice Ekerete Akpan ruled that it was beyond the court’s power to restrain the EFCC from fulfilling its constitutional duty to investigate suspected financial crimes. Justice Akpan emphasized that mere assumptions about the EFCC’s intentions, especially regarding a ₦15 million bribery allegation, did not constitute harassment.
The five kingmakers had petitioned the court to declare the EFCC’s actions as unfair, arguing that the probe was a witch-hunt orchestrated by the Oyo State government, which had requested the EFCC to investigate the alleged bribery. Counsel for the applicants, I.B. Olayinka, claimed that the kingmakers were targeted due to their role in choosing the next Alaafin of Oyo, a decision the state government later challenged.
Counsel for the EFCC, S.M. Galadanci, countered that two of the kingmakers, Asimiyu Atanda and Lamidi Oyewale, had cooperated with the investigation, providing valuable information. Galadanci stated that these two chiefs revealed that the kingmakers had reached a consensus on the next Alaafin after candidate Lukman Gbadegesin allegedly offered each of them ₦15 million.
The Oyo State government’s counsel, N.A. Abiola, argued that the application was speculative and should be rejected.
The kingmakers, including Yusuf Ayoola (Basorun), Lamidi Oyewale (Sanu), Asimiyu Atanda (Agbaakin), Hamzat Yusuf (Akinniku), and Wakeel Oyedapo, have been embroiled in a dispute with the state government for nearly two years over the corruption allegations related to the selection process of the Alaafin of Oyo.
