The Osun State Government has said it will challenge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, at the Federal High Court over the anti-graft agency’s directive restricting transactions on its account with First Bank.
The state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwole Jimi-Bada, disclosed this on Wednesday, saying Governor Ademola Adeleke had given him the authority to institute legal proceedings against the commission.
According to Jimi-Bada, the EFCC’s “Post No Debit” directive was forwarded to First Bank, where the state government maintains its accounts.
He said the restriction could hamper the operations of the state government, stressing that the EFCC could investigate the accounts but could not freeze them without a court order.
“I have the mandate of the governor to proceed to the Federal High Court to challenge this move. EFCC can investigate the accounts but it can’t freeze the accounts without order of court,” Jimi-Bada said.
He added that the state government would challenge the directive and ensure that the EFCC operates within the law.
“This step will affect government running but we will challenge the move and ensure that the agency acts within the ambit of the law,” he said.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Finance, Sola Ogungbile, alleged that police operatives stormed the main branch of First Bank in Osogbo and arrested some bank employees.
Ogungbile said Governor Adeleke was not using state funds to finance his re-election campaign, urging the EFCC to consider the impact of its action on government operations and the welfare of residents.
The development came after Adeleke raised an alarm over an alleged plan by the EFCC to freeze all accounts belonging to the Osun State Government.
In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, the governor alleged that the anti-graft agency was also planning to freeze the accounts of top government officials.
Adeleke described the alleged plan as “the height of lawlessness”, claiming that the move was designed to paralyse government activities ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
“The plot to freeze the state government accounts is meant to paralyze government activities ahead of the August 15th governorship election,” he said.
The governor maintained that there was no legal basis or justification for freezing the state government’s accounts, insisting that the EFCC lacked the legal powers to freeze an account belonging to a state government.
