Nigeria immunity to be challenged

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Nigeria's anti-corruption agency says it is appealing against a decision to grant immunity to a former governor of an oil-rich state.

On Wednesday a court ruled that Peter Odili could not be prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission or other agencies.

"He cannot be arrested, he cannot be prosecuted - he is above the law," EFCC spokesman Osita Nwaja told the BBC.

Mr Odili, from Rivers State, denies any wrongdoing.

The agency says the court had no grounds to deny its rights to investigate allegations of corruption and will take its case to the Appeal Court.

[The ruling] "would make him the most protected Nigerian, if not the most protected human being in the world today," Mr Nwaja said.

Rule of law

Just before he lost his official immunity from prosecution when he left office in May last year, Mr Odili secured an injunction preventing the EFCC from investigating the state's finances.

Poverty and unemployment are high despite Nigeria's oil wealthHe argued the Federal Government had no legal right to the state records.

The EFCC appealed against the injunction and it has yet to come to court.

But the EFCC also launched a fresh investigation into Mr Odili, saying he had not been part of the original inquiry.

The agency has charged eight out of 36 state governors from Nigeria's previous administration with corruption since they stepped down last year, losing their immunity from prosecution.

The BBC's Alex Last in Lagos says Rivers State is, on paper, the wealthiest region in the country with an annual budget of $1.3bn.

But it has seen few improvements in recent years.

Our correspondent says President Umar Yar'Adua has promised to fight corruption and uphold the rule of law, but this may be a case where one is being used against the other.