Court of Appeal Rules Against Magu's EFCC Tenure

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned a Federal High Court judgment that upheld Ibrahim Magu's continued tenure as acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). This ruling was made on September 21, 2026, in response to an appeal filed by lawyer and activist Johnmary Jideobi, who contested Magu's indefinite acting position after the Senate rejected his nomination twice.

The original suit was initiated on March 2, 2017, and a judgment by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu on December 4, 2019, had previously dismissed the challenges against Magu's tenure, citing a gap in the EFCC Establishment Act regarding the duration of acting appointments. Jideobi argued that the EFCC chairman has a four-year tenure, renewable once, and that Magu had exceeded this period without Senate confirmation.

The appellate court's decision now mandates a review of Magu's position, which ended in July 2020 when he was suspended by former President Muhammadu Buhari over misconduct allegations.