The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has reportedly frozen an Osun State Government account domiciled with First Bank, just 10 days before the August 15 governorship election.
The account, which was reportedly used for the payment of workers’ salaries, was placed on “Post No Debit” status by the anti-graft agency, according to documents seen by Vanguard.
HERALDSUN reports that the development came after Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, alleged that the EFCC was planning to freeze the state government’s accounts and those of some top government officials.
Adeleke had described the alleged plan as “the height of lawlessness”, warning that freezing the accounts could cripple government operations ahead of the election.
In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, the governor maintained that there was no legal basis for the action, arguing that the EFCC lacked the statutory powers to freeze an account belonging to a state government.
“There is no legal basis or justification for any push to freeze the state government accounts. The anti-graft agency has no legal powers to freeze the account of a state government,” Adeleke said.
However, a source close to Adeleke, who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly, confirmed that the account had been frozen.
“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.
The affected account was reportedly placed on “Post No Debit” status, which restricts withdrawals and other debit transactions from the account.
As of the time of filing this report, the EFCC had yet to issue an official statement on the development.
