Court of Appeal Dismisses EFCC's Appeal Against Aisha Achimugu

On October 22, 2026, the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, dismissed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission's (EFCC) application for leave to appeal a prior judgment in favor of businesswoman Aisha Achimugu. This ruling represents a significant judicial victory for Achimugu, who has faced extensive legal challenges from the EFCC, including investigations and asset seizures.

The appellate court determined that the EFCC failed to provide sufficient grounds for its application, declaring it "lacks merit." This decision upholds an earlier judgment from July 22, 2026, which vacated an interim order that had frozen Achimugu's bank accounts and those of associated corporate entities. The court criticized the prolonged freezing order, which had been in effect for over 15 months, as an abuse of judicial process.

The EFCC's initial application to freeze the accounts was granted by Justice Turaki Adamu of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt on April 10, 2025, but Achimugu successfully challenged this order.