The Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has dismissed an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) seeking permission to challenge an earlier judgment in its legal dispute with businesswoman Aisha Achimugu at the Supreme Court.
The decision, delivered on Thursday, marks another setback for the anti-graft agency in its efforts to sustain restrictions previously imposed on Achimugu’s bank accounts and those of corporate entities linked to her.
The appellate court ruled that the EFCC failed to establish sufficient grounds to warrant the leave sought to appeal its earlier judgment before the Supreme Court.
In its ruling, the court declared that the commission’s application for leave to appeal lacked merit and consequently dismissed it.
The latest development leaves intact, for now, the Court of Appeal’s July 22 judgment, which set aside an interim order freezing bank accounts associated with Achimugu and companies linked to her.
The dispute has been characterised by investigations, asset seizures, restrictions on bank accounts and multiple court proceedings between the businesswoman and the anti-graft agency.
The earlier judgment had also drawn attention to the legal limits governing the use of interim freezing orders by investigative agencies, particularly in cases involving individuals and corporate organisations.
On July 22, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, comprising Justices Muhammad Ibrahim Sirajo, Ishaq Mohammed Sani and Eleojo Enenche, unanimously vacated the freezing order originally granted by the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt on April 10, 2025.
Thursday’s ruling further complicates the EFCC’s efforts to overturn the appellate court’s earlier decision, leaving its challenge to the judgment unsuccessful at this stage.
