Adeleke Heads To Court After EFCC Freezes Osun Government Account

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has directed the state attorney-general to challenge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in court after reports that the commission asked First Bank to freeze a state government account.

The dispute moved quickly on Wednesday after Adeleke said the state received a bank letter forwarding an EFCC instruction on the account. He argued that the restriction was made without a court order and said the state would seek relief at the Federal High Court.

Daily Trust reported that the EFCC request was contained in an August 5 letter with reference number CR:3000/EFCC/ABJ/HQ/PFS/TA/OSUN/VOL.17. Premium Times described the affected account as a salary account and said the move came days before the state governorship election.

Adeleke accused the anti-graft agency of acting unlawfully and demanded an explanation from EFCC chairman Ola Olukoyede. The governor also linked the move to political pressure, while the state government said the restriction could disrupt public operations if allowed to stand.

State Attorney-General Oluwole Jimi-Bada said the government had begun legal steps to challenge the directive. Vanguard and Daily Post also reported that Adeleke had instructed the attorney-general to take the matter to court.

The case adds a fresh legal and political fight to Osun’s already tense election season. For now, the central question is whether the EFCC can justify the account restriction and whether a court will allow it to remain in place.

Sources: Punch, Vanguard, Daily Trust, Premium Times and Daily Post.