The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has reportedly frozen an Osun State Government account domiciled with the First Bank, just 10 days before the state’s governorship election.
According to documents obtained by Vanguard, the account, said to be used for the payment of workers’ salaries, was placed on a “Post No Debit” restriction by the anti-graft agency.
The development came shortly after Governor Ademola Adeleke, alleged that the EFCC was planning to freeze state government accounts and those belonging to top officials ahead of the August 15 election.
Reacting to the move, the state government, through the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, described the reported action as an attempt to disrupt government operations in the lead-up to the poll.
Governor Adeleke argued that there was no legal justification for freezing the state’s accounts, insisting that the EFCC lacks the statutory authority to take such action against a state government.
A source close to the administration, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the account had already been restricted.
“I can confirm that the state government account has been frozen by the EFCC. It is no longer an allegation. The governor will address the press shortly to update the public on the situation,” the source said.
As of the time of filing this report, the EFCC had not issued an official statement regarding the development, while the reason behind the account restriction remained unclear.
EFCC freezes Osun State government account days before gubernatorial election