The {Economic} and {Financial} Crimes Fee (EFCC) has requested the Federal Excessive Court docket in Abuja to permit the continuing trial of former Anambra State governor, Willie Obiano, to proceed earlier than Justice Inyang Ekwo, as a substitute of restarting afresh earlier than a brand new decide.
The request was disclosed in an announcement shared by the anti-graft company on its X deal with on Tuesday.
Obiano is standing trial on a nine-count cost bordering on alleged embezzlement and cash laundering involving N4 billion stated to belong to Anambra State.
On the resumed listening to on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, the matter got here up earlier than Justice M. G. Umar. EFCC counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, represented in courtroom by two different legal professionals, advised the courtroom that the Fee most popular to await Justice Ekwo’s return, noting that substantial progress had already been made earlier than him.
In response to the EFCC, the prosecution had referred to as 9 witnesses, all of whom had testified earlier than Justice Ekwo earlier than his momentary absence from the courtroom. Tahir stated the Fee had “a number of witnesses left” earlier than it may shut its case.
With almost all the prosecution course of accomplished, the EFCC argued that starting the trial denovo (from scratch) earlier than one other decide would quantity to a setback and pointless duplication of effort.
Following the place of the prosecution, Justice Umar granted the request and adjourned the matter indefinitely pending the resumption of Justice Ekwo.
Obiano, who served as governor of Anambra State between 2014 and 2022, has denied any wrongdoing within the case.
The EFCC, nevertheless, maintains that the funds in query had been diverted via suspicious transactions throughout his tenure.
