The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has defended the legality of its restriction on an Osun State Government account, citing provisions of the law as the basis for its action.
The Commission’s Director of Public Affairs, Wilson Uwujaren, said the action did not require a prior court order, contrary to claims by the Osun State Government and the Nigerian Bar Association.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Thursday, Uwujaren explained that the commission moved to restrict the account after observing suspicious transactions over the past week.
“As we indicated in the statement released by the Commission, we took that step to preserve the account of the Osun State Government.
“We observed in the past one week that activities on that account looked suspicious, and based on the mandate of the Commission, we took the step of placing a restriction on that account to preserve it,” he said.
Uwujaren clarified that the action affected only one government account and should not be interpreted as a blanket freeze on the state’s finances.
“That restriction order does not mean that all the accounts of Osun State have been frozen. No. It is just a targeted restriction on one account of the Osun State Government,” he said.
According to him, the commission observed substantial transfers of funds from the account to several corporate entities within a one-week period, prompting its intervention.
“The essence, like I said, is just to preserve that account because we observed suspicious activities on that account in terms of the transfer of funds to a number of entities within one week.
“So we had to take that decision to place a restriction on that account, not minding the fact that there is an election process in place,” he said.
Uwujaren maintained that the EFCC could not ignore the transactions, arguing that failure to act would have attracted public criticism if public funds were eventually misappropriated.
“We have the responsibility under the law to do so because if we don’t take that step and, for instance, funds are looted from the account of the Osun State Government, I’m sure the Nigerian public will also ask, ‘Where was the EFCC when those funds were being moved?” he said.
He also insisted that the Osun State Government remained able to carry out its responsibilities because it still had access to other bank accounts.
“It does not stop the Osun State Government from running the government of the state because they have access to other funds in the other accounts that they have.
“In any case, the payment of salaries and other expenditures by the state government happens just once in a month. What we have done is not a blanket freezing of the account.
“It’s just a targeted freezing. Once we are satisfied that activities on that account are no longer suspicious, it will be lifted,” he said.
Addressing the legality of the restriction, Uwujaren said the EFCC derives its powers from the EFCC Act and the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
“A number of people have asked whether the Commission has the power to do so under the law. I can assure you that we have the power to place a temporary restriction on an account.
“Section 34 of the EFCC Act and Section 7, Subsection 6 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2022 give us that authority to take that step,” he said.
He added that the temporary restriction could remain in place for up to 72 hours before the commission would be required to obtain a court order if necessary.
“The restriction order can last within 72 hours before we can come with a court order if we need to provide a court order,” he said.
The EFCC had earlier disclosed that it had been investigating the Osun State Government since March 2026 over the alleged fraudulent handling of about N11 billion in Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federation Account Allocation Committee allocations. The commission said some state officials, including the Accountant General, had already been questioned.
Uwujaren’s comments followed a demand by Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke for EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede to justify the restriction, which the governor described as illegal.
The state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwole Jimi-Bada (SAN), had argued that while the EFCC has the authority to investigate government accounts, it cannot freeze them without first obtaining a court order. He said the state government had been directed to challenge the action at the Federal High Court in Osogbo.