From corruption trials to political fights: Nigeria’s biggest courtroom showdowns of 2025

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2025 has been a defining year for Nigeria’s judiciary, with several high-stakes court cases capturing national attention and shaping public discourse.

From politically charged battles between state and federal authorities to high-profile corruption trials involving former top officials, these cases have tested the limits of the law, exposed institutional challenges, and underscored the critical role of the courts in safeguarding democracy and accountability.

As these landmark proceedings unfold across multiple jurisdictions, Nigerians are deeply engaged, aware that the outcomes could establish transformative precedents shaping the future of governance, justice, and the rule of law.

Below are some of the biggest courtroom showdowns of 2025

1. EFCC vs Godwin Emefiele

Godwin Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, is facing multiple criminal cases following federal investigations into alleged fraud, abuse of office, and corruption during his nine-year tenure.

Emefiele was first appointed CBN governor on June 4, 2014, by former President Goodluck Jonathan and was re-appointed for a second term in 2019 by the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.

He came under scrutiny following several controversial monetary policies, particularly the 2023 naira redesign and cash withdrawal limits, which led to nationwide cash shortages and public hardship.

His legal troubles escalated after President Bola Tinubu suspended him on June 9, 2023, leading to his arrest by the Department of State Services at his residence in Ikoyi, Lagos, on June 10, 2023.

On July 13, 2023, a High Court in Abuja ordered the DSS to either charge him or release him within seven days. He was subsequently charged by the DSS with alleged illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

On January 19, 2024, Emefiele was re-arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission before the Federal Capital Territory High Court on a 20-count charge, including criminal breach of trust, procurement fraud, and forgery. He pleaded not guilty to all counts.

On April 8, 2024, the EFCC filed a 26-count amended charge alleging illegal allocation of foreign exchange and misappropriation totalling $4.5 billion and ₦2.8 billion.

During proceedings in 2024 and 2025, the EFCC presented extensive evidence, including internal CBN memos, documents allegedly showing unauthorised approvals for large forex allocations, and digital evidence such as WhatsApp chats retrieved from mobile phones linked to him.

Investigators traced billions of naira and foreign currencies to bank accounts and assets allegedly connected to Emefiele.

The defence challenged the admissibility and authenticity of several pieces of evidence, particularly the digital material extracted from an iPhone, arguing it was not accessed in compliance with forensic standards and that the EFCC failed to properly certify or preserve the data.

In related asset forfeiture cases, the EFCC secured multiple court orders. On January 15, 2024, a Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the interim forfeiture of $4.7 million, ₦830 million, and several luxury items linked to him. By June 22, 2024, the court granted final forfeiture of properties valued at over ₦12 billion, including foreign currency and real estate.

On June 10, 2024, another court ruling authorised the EFCC to continue tracing offshore assets allegedly connected to him.

Despite a challenge in February 2025 contesting the court’s jurisdiction, a Special Offences Court in Ikeja, on January 8, 2025, ruled that it had jurisdiction to proceed with the trial but struck out four of the 26 counts. The trial was subsequently adjourned to 26 February 2025 for continuation.

As of October 9, 2025, the court admitted additional evidence, including digital records, against Emefiele. The trial was then adjourned to December 2 and 3, 2025, for a mini-trial.

At the resumption of the hearing on 3 December, Alvan Gurumnaan, an EFCC operative, said the agency did not coerce Henry Omoile, co-defendant of Emefiele, into making statements.

Gurumnaan, who previously served in the special operations unit of the EFCC Lagos zonal command, explained that Omoile made the statements at the agency’s conference room in Block A of the command at Awolowo Road, Ikoyi.

The EFCC operative said Omoile, who is facing a three-count charge relating to unlawful acceptance of gifts by a public officer, came to the EFCC office on February 26, 2024, accompanied by his lawyer.

He added that the defendant made four statements: three dated February 26, 2024, and one dated February 27, 2024. Gurumnaan emphasised that no officer of the agency coerced Omoile and that his lawyer was present throughout the process.

The EFCC operative tendered the agency’s visitors’ register as supporting evidence, noting that the lawyer’s presence was not expressly mentioned in one of the statements.

During cross-examination, Gurumnaan admitted that no video recording was made while Omoile’s statements were being taken, citing certain operational circumstances that occasionally hinder video recording, despite it being standard EFCC practice.

One of the prosecution witnesses had previously testified that he routinely collected cash in dollars from some individuals for Emefiele and handed it to Omoile on the orders of the ex-CBN governor.

The trial judge, Ramon Oshodi, adjourned further hearings to Thursday, January 15, and Friday, January 16, 2026.

Throughout the proceedings, Emefiele has maintained his innocence, insisting that all actions taken as CBN governor were lawful, properly documented, and in the national interest.

Through his lawyers, he has argued that the naira redesign policy was approved by the late Buhari and implemented with the involvement of the CBN Board.

Emefiele remains on strict bail conditions, including the surrender of his passport, and continues to deny any wrongdoing, asserting that he acted solely in accordance with the law and his official duties as head of Nigeria’s apex bank.

2. EFCC/NSA vs Tigran Gambaryan

The former head of Financial-Crime Compliance at Binance, Tigran Gambaryan, was arrested and detained by the Office of the National Security Adviser and later arraigned on alleged money-laundering charges by the EFCC in 2024.

In early 2024, the Federal Government of Nigeria accused cryptocurrency exchange Binance of influencing foreign exchange rates, leading to increased regulatory and legal scrutiny of crypto trading platforms.

Gambaryan travelled to Nigeria on February 26, 2024, with colleague Nadeem Anjarwalla, a 37-year-old British-Kenyan and Regional Manager for Africa at Binance, to honour an invitation from the NSA and EFCC.

On February 28, 2024, Nigerian authorities detained Gambaryan and Anjarwalla on charges of money laundering and alleged foreign exchange violations brought by the EFCC.

However, Anjarwalla later escaped custody and fled the country, while Gambaryan was detained for eight months.

On October 23, 2024, a Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed the charges against them, citing critical international and diplomatic considerations as well as Gambaryan’s employment with Binance Holdings Limited.

Gambaryan was subsequently released from Kuje Prison and returned to the United States.

Weeks later, he filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit, contending that his detention by the NSA and EFCC was unlawful and prolonged. He sought a court declaration that his rights had been violated, as well as an apology and damages.

On November 27, 2025, the Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed his suit.

Justice Umar Mohammed dismissed the case, ruling that the court would not, under the guise of Gambaryan’s fundamental rights claims, “interfere” with the prosecutorial role of the Nigerian authorities in investigating suspected foreign exchange violations and alleged money laundering involving the cryptocurrency platform.

The judge held that the application was an abuse of court process and found no basis to interfere with the investigatory powers of the NSA and EFCC.

It would be recalled that on June 19, 2024, Gambaryan’s counsel, Tonye Krukrubo, SAN, and Sunday Agaji, informed the court of their amended originating motion seeking enforcement of their client’s fundamental rights in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/356/2024.

Gambaryan’s lawyers asked Justice Inyang Ekwo to compel the NSA and EFCC to apologise for their client’s detention in Nigeria.

In his initial fundamental rights suit, Gambaryan alleged that the Federal Government had used his prolonged detention “as leverage to continue making demands on Binance.”

The lawyers further informed the court that their client, an American citizen, visited Nigeria on February 26, 2024, with Nadeem Anjarwalla solely to honour an invitation from Mr Saad Abubakar of the NSA and Mr Olalekan Ogunjobi of the EFCC for a meeting with government officials as representatives of Binance.

They added that, after attending the meeting, Gambaryan—who is not a board member of Binance—was detained.

3. Osun State Govt vs Attorney General of the Federation

The Osun State Government is challenging the Federal Government’s decision to withhold statutory allocations meant for its 30 local government councils since March 2025.

The dispute arose after the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission had conducted local government elections in February 2025.

Following the polls, the Federal Government withheld funds due to the councils from the Federation Account, reportedly acting on a petition from the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress.

The APC accused Governor Ademola Adeleke of violating his oath of office by going ahead with the election. The party alleged that the governor colluded with the PDP to disrupt public order by refusing to comply with a 10 February 2025 Court of Appeal ruling, which the APC interpreted as directing the reinstatement of the previously sacked local government officials elected in 2022.

The state government countered the APC’s allegations, arguing that the party relied on a case it had previously lost at the Federal High Court. Osun noted that the APC’s appeal in the matter was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on January 13, 2025, for lack of diligent prosecution.

This controversy is rooted in a longstanding political and administrative conflict over control of the local governments. Officials elected in 2022 under the former administration were removed after their election was annulled. Fresh local government elections were subsequently held on February 22, 2025.

In March 2025, the Federal Government, through the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the Minister of Finance, suspended statutory allocations to all 30 councils. This action was linked to the disputed status of local government leadership following the annulment of the 2022 elections.

The Osun State Government maintains that the newly elected councils are legitimate, democratically constituted, and supported by a 2025 Court of Appeal decision affirming the validity of the February polls. It argues that the withholding of funds violates constitutional provisions guaranteeing financial autonomy for democratically elected local governments.

In response, Osun filed a suit at the Supreme Court seeking to compel the Federal Government to release all withheld funds. The state asked the apex court to declare the withholding unlawful, unconstitutional, and without any legal basis.

On October 7, 2025, the Supreme Court heard final arguments in the case. Osun State, represented by Musibau Adetunbi, SAN, urged the Court to declare the Federal Government’s action illegal, order the immediate release of all allocations withheld since March 2025, issue a perpetual injunction preventing future withholding of LG funds, and restrain the Federal Government from paying allocations to the former officials whose 2022 elections were annulled.

The AGF, represented by Akin Olujimi, SAN, opposed the application and defended the Federal Government’s decision.

After hearing submissions from both sides, the seven-member Supreme Court panel led by Justice Uwani Aba-Aji, on December 5, struck out a suit that sought to compel the Federal Government to release all the allocations belonging to local government councils.

In the lead judgment that was delivered by Justice Mohammed Idris, the court held that the LG of Osun state lacked the locus standi to activate the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court on behalf of the 30 LGCs in the state.

Stressing that the Supreme Court could only be invited as a court of first instance to settle disputes between any state of the federation and the FG, the panel held that the Osun LGCs are legally recognised autonomous entities that could sue or be sued.

Justice Idris held that the LGCs were the proper parties to challenge FG’s action, adding that the apex court lacked the requisite jurisdiction to entertain the case.

He dismissed Osun AG’s argument that the suit was a public interest litigation.

Though the apex court upheld a preliminary objection the Attorney General of the Federation filed to challenge the competence of the suit, it, however, admonished the FG to give full effect to its judgment that granted fiscal autonomy to all the 774 Local Government Areas in the country.

4. EFCC vs Hadi Sirika

The former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Abubakar Sirika, was arrested and first arraigned on May 9, 2024, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged ₦2.7 billion fraud, abuse of office, and contract irregularities.

The EFCC accused Sirika of awarding aviation-sector contracts to companies linked to his family, specifically his daughter and son-in-law, in violation of public procurement laws and anti-corruption statutes.

He is being prosecuted alongside his daughter, Fatima Sirika; his son-in-law, Jalal Sule Hamma; and Al Buraq Global Investment Limited.

The defendants are facing an amended six-count charge bordering on abuse of office, procurement fraud, and money laundering amounting to ₦2.7 billion.

The main contract at the centre of the case involves the apron expansion and terminal works at Katsina Airport, allegedly awarded to Al Buraq, a company linked to Sirika’s daughter and son-in-law.

According to the EFCC, the contract was improperly split into sub-contracts to bypass procurement oversight, and ₦1.3 billion was paid out despite the fact that the work was never executed.

Earlier on May 23, 2024, Sirika had also been arraigned in a separate case involving alleged aviation-sector contract fraud totalling about ₦19.4 billion, linked to another company associated with his brother.

In the current ₦2.7 billion case, Sirika and his co-defendants face a six-count amended charge at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, with offences including abuse of office, contract fraud, procurement breaches, and money laundering.

The prosecution maintains that Sirika unlawfully conferred an advantage on Al Buraq by awarding it a contract it could not have secured through open, competitive bidding. These alleged acts contravene the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, and sections of the EFCC Act.

At their May 2024 arraignment, all defendants pleaded not guilty. They were each granted ₦100 million bail with surety conditions.

Throughout 2025, the EFCC continued to present evidence. In May 2025, the court admitted fresh documentary materials as exhibits.

By mid-2025, at least 12 prosecution witnesses had testified. Several witnesses told the court that Sirika split the aviation contract and directed portions to his daughter’s company.

Evidence presented also showed that full payments were made to Al Buraq despite zero execution of the Katsina Airport works. Subsequent transfers from the company’s account allegedly went to personal accounts unrelated to any contract activities.

On 7 April 2025, a procurement oversight official testified that there was no record of Sirika formally signing or approving the contracts under investigation, raising further questions about their legitimacy.

The trial, which is ongoing before Justice S.C. Oriji of the FCT High Court, has now entered a trial-within-trial phase, a process required to determine whether statements given by Sirika’s daughter and son-in-law to the EFCC were voluntary and compliant with the law.

On October 28, 2025, the court adjourned the matter until December 9, 2025, directing all parties to file their written addresses for the trial-within-trial.

All defendants continue to plead not guilty as the case progresses.

5. EFCC Vs Ayo Fayose

A former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, was first arrested by the EFCC on October 16, 2018, after he voluntarily reported to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

His arrest followed allegations of money laundering and theft involving ₦6.9 billion said to have been channelled through proxies during his 2014 governorship campaign.

The EFCC alleged that the funds originated from the Office of the former National Security Adviser during the 2014–2015 period.

Investigators said Fayose received substantial cash payments — including ₦1.2 billion and US$5 million — through unofficial cash transfers that bypassed banking regulations.

These funds were allegedly laundered between June 2014 and June 2015 through his company, Spotless Investment Limited, and proxy firms such as De Privateer Ltd and Still Earth Ltd, which were allegedly used to acquire properties within and outside Nigeria.

On 22 October 2018, Fayose and Spotless Investment Limited were arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos on an 11-count charge bordering on money laundering, criminal breach of trust, theft, and non-declaration of assets. He pleaded not guilty.

Following a procedural review, he was re-arraigned on 2 July 2019, with the EFCC retaining the same 11-count, ₦6.9 billion charge.

Between 2019 and 2024, the trial progressed slowly due to changes in presiding judges, adjournments, and multiple interlocutory applications.

Throughout this period, Fayose’s defence team argued that the EFCC had failed to establish a credible case against him. They pointed out that alleged co-conspirators, notably Abiodun Agbele, were never charged, undermining the prosecution’s claims of conspiracy and joint criminal activity.

The defence also attacked the reliability of key testimonies, including that of former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, delivered between 2019 and 2022, which they described as inconsistent and uncorroborated.

On May 19, 2025, after years of hearings, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court, Lagos, reserved judgment on Fayose’s no-case submission, having heard closing arguments from both the EFCC and the defence.

The case reached its turning point on 16 July 2025, when Justice Aneke delivered judgment. The court discharged and acquitted Fayose and Spotless Investment Limited, ruling that the EFCC had failed to establish a prima facie case.

The judge held that key elements of the alleged offences — including conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, and money laundering- were not proven.

He further noted inconsistencies in witness testimony, documentary gaps, and the absence of charged co-conspirators.

Shortly after the verdict, on July 17, 2025, the EFCC announced that it would appeal the judgment, stating that its legal team was reviewing the ruling and preparing processes for the Court of Appeal.

The ruling marked a significant milestone for Fayose, effectively ending, at least for now, a high-profile legal battle that began in 2018 and spanned nearly seven years.

Olugbenga is a fine-grained journalist with over nine years of experience. He loves the smell of a good lead and has a penchant for finding out interesting good reports.

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