By Adesina Soyooye
The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has condemned the freezing of the bank accounts of the Osun State Government just as the African Democratic Congress, ADC, described it as terrorism.
The strong condemnations come on the heels of the explanation by
the EFCC, as to why it took the extreme action.
According to the Commission, it froze the account because there were, allegedly, suspicious movement of funds from the accounts.
Nigerians woke up Wednesday, August 5, to the alarm raised by the Osun State Government that they had a solid information that the EFCC was going to freeze the Government’s account as well as those of some top Government officials.
True to the alarm it raised, the EFCC, in a move that has pushed not a few people to ask questions froze the First Bank accounts of the State.
The action coming barely 10 days to the Governorship election, many people say, is in bad fate, especially, as it has become public that it was the Osun State Chapter of the APC that wrote petitions to the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, against the Osun State Government alleging withdrawal of funds to, allegedly, buy votes.
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has described the action as act of terrorism, while the NBA has dismissed it as an abuse of power.
But in a response it posted Wednesday on X, the EFCC said accounts of the State has been under its monitor since March, 2026, over, according to the Commission, the State’s untidy handling of about N11billion in Ecology funds, Intervention Funds and allocations from the Federation Accounts.
The Commission said that as part of its ongoing
investigation, it had questioned some officials of the State Government, including its Accountant General.
The Commission, however, claimed that the investigation would not have led to the freezing of the accounts if it had not noticed some suspicious movements of funds beginning August 2 from the Government’s accounts.
EFCC: “These ongoing investigations of the State Government would not have warranted any placement of Post No Debit order on its account but for the precipate and unwarranted movement of funds from the accounts to different suspicious accounts since 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 Commission’s preventive mandate is a public-inclined framework of safeguarding public funds, assets and resources.
“The Commission cannot watch idly while a state government’s account is being pillaged. 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 to perform its legally-assigned functions.
“It is equally needful to state that the Commission is keeping watch over the finances of other States like Osun State. Many of these States are on the investigative radar of the Commission to ensure accountability and probity.
“The Commission has always pointed out that it is non-partisan and non-sectarian but always working in the overall interests of Nigerians. The Osun State Government account was frozen to save public funds from being looted.”
However, not a few reactions insist the EFCC action was a deliberate and well-timed move to cripple the state government.
Aside from the ADC which likened it to terrorism, the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has kicked against it.
Speaking om Wednesday to The Punch, its President, Afam Osigwe, SAN, described the action as an abuse of power aimed at crippling governance in the State.
He said: “No Government agency or any person has the right or the power to restrict withdrawals from the account of any state, because first of all, the order has the effect of grounding the activities of a government.
“If the EFCC knows that any particular account is being used for the purpose of fraud, it may be able to obtain a court order, but it cannot make a blanket order freezing the accounts of any state.”
The Osun State Government has gone to Court to challenge the EFCC order.
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