Ogun State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Oluwasina Ogungbade, SAN, has condemned ongoing media reports claiming that the state is challenging the legality of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the Supreme Court.
In a statement on Monday, Ogungbade expressed surprise that some media outlets continue to include Ogun State among those challenging the EFCC in court.
He clarified, “We don’t have a suit against the EFCC. We have never filed any action questioning its constitutionality. Last week, we issued a statement making it clear that we did not join any suit filed at the Supreme Court by other states on this issue.”
Ogungbade emphasized the state’s respect for the decisions of other states pursuing such cases, noting that “it is their right to approach the court, as permitted in a democracy and federation.”
The Attorney-General further stated, “Our filed documents are public and open for scrutiny, so it’s surprising that some media outlets continue to report Ogun State as part of this challenge.”
Earlier, the Ogun State government issued a statement affirming that the constitutionality of the EFCC and ICPC had already been settled by the Supreme Court and that it sees no basis to revisit the matter.
Ogun State also affirmed its support for the Federal Government’s law enforcement efforts as a federating unit with its own agencies.
Ogungbade clarified the actual case filed by Ogun State, stating, “Our case (SC/CV/912/2024) does not question the EFCC’s constitutionality. It aims to invalidate the NFIU Guidelines and Advisory issued in January 2023, which impact the economic and governance interests of Ogun State and its local governments. We are not challenging the EFCC’s constitutionality.”
Reports indicate that several states have sought to withdraw from the case initially filed by Kogi State against the EFCC, while the Benue State Governor recently suspended the Attorney-General for joining the suit without approval.
