The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has defended its decision to restrict an Osun State Government account, insisting it does not require a court order to impose a temporary freeze lasting up to 72 hours.
EFCC Director of Public Affairs, Wilson Uwujaren, said the action was backed by law and followed suspicious transactions detected on the account over the past week.
Speaking on Arise Television on Thursday, Uwujaren said the commission acted to preserve the account pending further investigation.
“As we indicated in the statement released by the Commission, we took that step to preserve the account of the Osun State Government.”
“We observed in the past one week that activities on that account looked suspicious, and based on the mandate of the Commission, we took the step of placing a restriction on that account to preserve it.”
He clarified that the commission did not freeze all of Osun State’s accounts, stressing that the restriction applied to only one account.
“That restriction order does not mean that all the accounts of Osun State have been frozen. No. It is just a targeted restriction on one account of the Osun State Government.”
Uwujaren said investigators noticed multiple transfers from the account to several corporate entities within one week, prompting the intervention.
“The essence, like I said, is just to preserve that account because we observed suspicious activities on that account in terms of the transfer of funds to a number of entities within one week.”
“So we had to take that decision to place a restriction on that account, not minding the fact that there is an election process in place.”
He argued that failing to act could have attracted criticism if public funds were later diverted.
“We have the responsibility under the law to do so because if we don’t take that step and, for instance, funds are looted from the account of the Osun State Government, I’m sure the Nigerian public will also ask, ‘Where was the EFCC when those funds were being moved?’”
Uwujaren maintained that the restriction would not disrupt governance, noting that the state still had access to other accounts.
“It does not stop the Osun State Government from running the government of the state because they have access to other funds in the other accounts that they have.”
“In any case, the payment of salaries and other expenditures by the state government happens just once in a month. What we have done is not a blanket freezing of the account.”
He added that the restriction would be lifted once the commission was satisfied that activities on the account were no longer suspicious.
On the legality of the action, Uwujaren said the commission derived its powers from the EFCC Act and the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
“A number of people have asked whether the Commission has the power to do so under the law. I can assure you that we have the power to place a temporary restriction on an account.”
“Section 34 of the EFCC Act and Section 7, Subsection 6 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2022 give us that authority to take that step.”
He explained that the commission could impose a temporary restriction for up to 72 hours before approaching the court if necessary.
“The restriction order can last within 72 hours before we can come with a court order if we need to provide a court order.”
The EFCC had earlier disclosed that it had been investigating the Osun State Government since March 2026 over the alleged fraudulent handling of about ₦11 billion in Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federation Account Allocation Committee allocations.
The commission said some state officials, including the Accountant General, had already been questioned as part of the investigation.
Uwujaren’s comments came after Governor Ademola Adeleke challenged the legality of the account restriction and directed the state’s Attorney General, Oluwole Jimi-Bada (SAN), to contest the action at the Federal High Court in Osogbo.
(The Sun)
