The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission's (EFCC) case against former Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, has hit a roadblock following the suspension of the presiding judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Abuja Federal High Court.
The National Judicial Council (NJC) suspended Justice Ekwo during its 108th meeting held between April 29 and April 30, 2025. This suspension has effectively stalled proceedings in the N4 billion fraud case against the former governor.
Although the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, has directed Justice M. G. Umar from the Enugu Judicial Division to take over cases previously handled by Justice Ekwo, court checks on Monday revealed that the new judge is yet to resume sitting.
Obiano, who governed Anambra State from March 2014 to March 2022, faces a nine-count charge alleging the misappropriation of over N4 billion from the state treasury.
Prior to the judicial disruption, the EFCC had made significant progress in the case. On October 7, 2024, EFCC's lawyer, Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, had presented two witnesses who provided testimony against the former governor.
A key witness, Mr. Ugochukwu Otubelu, a former commercial bank staff who managed the security vote account under Obiano's government, revealed that funds from the security votes account were directed to six companies, though he claimed the money did not go to the account holders themselves.
Otubelu testified that the signatories to the security vote account were Willy Nwokoye, the former principal secretary to the ex-governor, and Theophilus Nweze, the accountant. He stated that he interacted with them regularly to process transactions.
The EFCC also presented testimony from two Bureau De Change (BDC) operators. Hayatu Hadejia, who runs multiple BDC companies, was called as the fourth prosecution witness. Another operator, Ayuba Tanko, testified on November 13, 2024, that between April and December 2017, a total of N416 million was paid into a company account he used by proxy. Tanko stated that this sum, received in tranches, was converted to 1.137 million US dollars.
The NJC's disciplinary action against Justice Ekwo was part of broader measures taken against three serving judicial officers, including a Justice of the Court of Appeal, for various acts of judicial misconduct. These actions were among several key resolutions reached at the Council's meeting under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
The case against Obiano represents one of several high-profile corruption investigations being pursued by the EFCC against former state governors in Nigeria.
