Osun State sues EFCC over frozen account ahead of election

The Osun State Government has initiated legal action against Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after the anti-graft agency froze a key state bank account on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, just ten days before the state's governorship election. The state's Attorney General, Oluwole Jimi-Bada, announced that Governor Ademola Adeleke had directed him to challenge the action at the Federal High Court in Osogbo.

The EFCC issued a "Post No Debit" directive to First Bank, restricting the Osun State Government Statutory Allocation Account. According to a letter from the commission dated August 5, the action was taken as part of an ongoing investigation, citing provisions of the EFCC Act and the Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Act. State officials confirmed the account, used for salary payments and other statutory obligations, was effectively frozen.

Governor Adeleke condemned the move as illegal and politically motivated ahead of the August 15 election. He publicly challenged EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede to explain the action, which he said was taken without a court order. The governor argued that freezing the account threatens democratic norms and the...