The Osun State Government has announced plans to sue the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after the anti-graft agency allegedly directed that the state’s bank accounts be frozen.
Speaking on Wednesday, the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwole Jimi-Bada, said Governor Ademola Adeleke had authorised legal action, arguing that while the EFCC has the power to investigate government accounts, it cannot freeze them without first obtaining a court order.
According to Jimi-Bada, the EFCC issued a “Post No Debit” directive to First Bank, where the state’s accounts are held. He warned that the action could disrupt government operations but insisted the state would challenge it at the Federal High Court.
“The EFCC can investigate the accounts, but it cannot freeze them without an order of the court,” he said. The Commissioner for Finance, Sola Ogungbile, also criticised the development, alleging that police officers visited First Bank’s main branch in Osogbo and arrested some bank staff.
He maintained that the state government was not using public funds to finance Governor Adeleke’s re-election campaign and urged the EFCC to consider the impact of the action on residents and public services. Earlier, Governor Adeleke had alleged that the EFCC was planning to freeze not only the state’s accounts but also the accounts of senior government officials. In a statement issued through the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, the governor described the alleged move as unlawful.
Adeleke claimed that freezing the accounts shortly before the August 15 governorship election was intended to cripple government activities. He further argued that the EFCC has no legal authority to freeze a state government’s accounts without following due legal process.
The EFCC had not publicly responded to the allegations at the time of the report. The dispute is expected to move to the Federal High Court, where the Osun State Government intends to challenge the legality of the agency’s actions.
