Adeleke heads to court over alleged EFCC freeze on Osun gov’t accounts
We froze Osun accounts for suspicious transfers, alleged N11bn funds mismanagement — EFCC
By Ismail Azeez
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has announced plans to challenge the alleged freezing of the state government’s accounts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), describing the action as unconstitutional and a threat to democracy.
Addressing journalists at a press conference on Wednesday, Adeleke alleged that the state received a letter from its banker informing the government of an EFCC directive ordering the freezing of Osun State Government accounts.
The governor stated that the directive was issued without a court order, insisting that federal agencies must operate within the confines of the law.
Adeleke said the alleged account freeze was the latest in a series of actions targeted at his administration and members of the Accord Party ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
He accused security agencies of carrying out arrests, raids, and harassment of party members, alleging that over 60 Accord members had been arrested and taken to Abuja without being charged in court.
Addressing the press, the Governor said, “You are all aware of the many challenges Osun people and her government have been facing in the last few months. You know of the deliberate paralysis of the local government system, the open gun attacks on Osun people, and the daily harassment and arrests of Accord members.”
“You are aware of constant police raids and arrests of Accord leaders for no reason and without any warrant of arrest. Several Accord members have been killed, and 60 Accord members have been arrested, taken to Abuja, and detained without any charges.”
“All these acts of intimidation and attacks were carried out on the orders of Gboyega Oyetola over an election his candidate cannot win. As if all these were not enough, this morning, we received a letter from our banker, forwarding a letter from the EFCC, instructing the bank to freeze Osun State Government accounts.”
“This action was taken without any court order. We are supposed to be in a democracy where the rule of law must always prevail. We will, therefore, not accept a situation where federal agencies trample on the constitutional rights of subnational governments.”
“This is a threat to our democracy. If we all keep quiet and allow this illegality, very soon, whatever is left of our democracy will be fully eroded. All I ask is for the EFCC chairman to explain to the good people of Osun State and to Nigerians in general why he froze Osun State Government accounts, and show proof to support whatever reason he presents. This and all other illegalities being visited on Osun State are turning our democracy into a huge joke.”
“I have instructed my Attorney General to challenge this illegality at the Federal High Court in Osogbo,” he said.
Meanwhile, a letter sighted by our correspondent and dated August 5th, 2026, addressed to the Managing Director of First Bank, Abuja, requested that the said account be placed on Post-No-Debit.
The letter, titled CR: 3000/EFCC/ABJ/HQ/PFS/TA/OSUN/VOL.17/666, was signed by a Director of Investigation, Adenike Babalola.
The letter partly reads: “In furtherance to the above, you are kindly requested to place a Post-No-Debit on the account. This request is made pursuant to Section 38 (1) & (2) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004 and Section 24 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
In its defence, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) clarified that the action was a preventive measure to safeguard public funds following suspicious, large-scale transfers.
In an statement released on Wednesday by the Commission’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the anti-graft agency dismissed claims of political bias, asserting that its intervention was strictly guided by its mandate to combat financial crimes and protect public assets.
According to the EFCC, the Osun State Government has been under active investigation since March 2026 over the alleged fraudulent handling of N11 billion spanning Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds, and the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) accounts.
The commission noted that as part of the ongoing probe, several state officials, including the Accountant General of Osun State, have previously undergone questioning by investigators.
The Commission further explained that while ongoing investigations do not routinely necessitate a Post No Debit (PND) order on government accounts, emergency intervention became necessary following unusual and rapid fund movements detected starting August 2, 2026.
“The Commission noticed huge transfers of funds into different corporate entities and had to swiftly halt the trend by freezing the accounts from which such heavy funds are being moved,” the statement read.
Addressing concerns over the timing of the action coming amid heightened political activities ahead of the upcoming Osun State governorship election, the EFCC insisted it could not allow political calendars to stall statutory anti-corruption duties.
“While the Commission is fully aware of the impending governorship election in Osun State, it has a responsibility to act in defence of the sanctity of the funds of the state.”
“It will be uncharitable for the Commission to allow an excuse of an upcoming election to fold its arms,” the statement read in part.
The anti-graft agency reiterated its non-partisan stance, revealing that Osun is not the only state under scrutiny. Several other state finances are currently on the EFCC’s investigative radar to ensure accountability and probity.
Urging the public to disregard false narratives and deliberate demonization of its operations, the EFCC pledged to remain steadfast in upholding its mandate in the overall interest of all Nigerians.