EFCC Freezes Osun Salary Account Days to Governorship Poll

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has frozen an Osun State Government salary account domiciled with First Bank, escalating political tensions just 10 days before the August 15 governorship election. The account was placed on a “Post No Debit” restriction, preventing withdrawals and other debit transactions.

An official EFCC directive dated August 5, 2026, cited Sections 38(1) and (2) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004, and Section 24 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, as the legal basis for the action.

Governor Ademola Adeleke confirmed the development during a press conference in Osogbo on Wednesday, stating that the state received a letter from its bank forwarding the EFCC instruction. He described the action as an illegality and a threat to democracy, insisting that it was taken without any court order.

“We are supposed to be in a democracy, where the Rule of Law must always prevail. We will therefore not accept a situation where federal agencies trample on the constitutional rights of subnational governments,” Adeleke declared.

The governor alleged that the freezing was part of a wider pattern of intimidation against Osun people ahead of the election, including what he called the deliberate paralysis of the local government system and daily harassment of Accord Party members.

He claimed that over 60 Accord members had been arrested and taken to Abuja without charges, while several others had been killed.

“This is a threat to our democracy. If we all keep quiet and allow this illegality, very soon, whatever is left of our democracy will be fully eroded,” Adeleke said.

The affected account is understood to be one of the state’s principal salary accounts, raising concerns over possible delays in salary payments and disruption of government operations.

Abdul-Jeleel Samakin, Senior Special Assistant on Media Monitoring to the Governor, confirmed that the account was among those used for official financial transactions, including salary payments.

“I can confirm that the state government account has been frozen by the EFCC. It is no longer an allegation,” a senior government source told THEWILL.

Governor Adeleke has directed the State Attorney General, Oluwole Jimi-Bada, to challenge the EFCC’s action at the Federal High Court in Osogbo.

He called on the EFCC Chairman to explain to Nigerians why the account was frozen and to provide proof to support whatever reason he presents.

The state government maintains that the EFCC lacks constitutional and statutory powers to freeze the account of a state government without a court order.

The freezing of the account adds another layer to the political and security controversies that have dominated preparations for the August 15 governorship election.

In recent weeks, the state has witnessed high-profile confrontations involving security agencies and the Osun government, including a police raid on the residence of the Secretary to the State Government over allegations of vote-buying.

As of the time of filing this report, the EFCC had not issued any official public statement explaining the reasons for the account restriction or responding to the allegations made by the Osun State Government.