Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has filed a legal suit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alleging the agency’s intent to arrest, detain, and prosecute him after his tenure.
Represented by his lawyer, Darlington Ozurumba, Sanwo-Olu presented a fundamental rights enforcement suit before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
During the initial hearing, Ozurumba informed the court that he had replaced the initial summons with a revised version, duly served to the EFCC. Justice Abdulmalik subsequently scheduled the case for further mention on November 11, after noting the proof of service was missing from the court file.
In the suit, Sanwo-Olu raised seven key legal questions and requested eleven reliefs, primarily seeking to protect his rights to personal liberty, freedom of movement, and property ownership. He argued that, under the Nigerian Constitution, he is entitled to private and family life as well as the right to acquire and manage property both during and after his public service.
Additionally, Sanwo-Olu contended that any investigation, arrest, or detention by the EFCC would violate his constitutional rights. He asserted that threats of arrest by the EFCC—allegedly fueled by political adversaries—amount to misuse of executive power and are part of a campaign to discredit him based on unproven corruption allegations.
Sanwo-Olu’s suit also seeks an injunction preventing the EFCC from harassing, arresting, or prosecuting him, as well as from seizing his property or freezing his bank accounts or those of his family. He argued that such actions would constitute unwarranted interference with his rights to fair hearing, private life, and property, as protected under Nigerian law and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
In an affidavit supporting the suit, litigation secretary Martha Kanu claimed that EFCC officials had pressured some of Sanwo-Olu’s aides and contractors to incriminate him, alleging corruption. The affidavit describes these attempts as politically motivated maneuvers to fabricate a case against him.
Sanwo-Olu, who was first sworn in as Lagos State governor on May 29, 2019, and re-elected in 2023, contends that the EFCC’s threats are baseless and aimed solely at damaging his reputation.
