The Lagos State Government claims that because it already has a case against the anti-graft agencies in the Supreme Court regarding a related issue, it did not join the suit filed by other states contesting the authority of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, or EFCC.

The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Lawal Pedro, SAN, told reporters Wednesday during a two-day Strategic Management meeting with Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, and stakeholders that the EFCC, acting through the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, or AGF, had taken the state to the Supreme Court over the law after the Lagos House of Assembly passed a law creating an anti-corruption agency to combat corruption.

Pedro pointed out that since the commission and Lagos State government are already in court, several states joining the latest lawsuit against the EFCC would have amounted to misuse of the legal system.

The Lagos State Government passed a law on public complaints and anti-corruption agency to establish the state anti-corruption agency commission to combat corruption in states, he said in response to the question of why the state government of Lagos is not among the claimant states contesting the EFCC.

But the EFCC chose to appeal that law to the Supreme Court through the AGF’s office. Therefore, it would have been a misuse of the legal system if we had entered the case.