Osun drags EFCC to court, demands ₦2bn over account freeze.

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has filed a suit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), seeking ₦2 billion in damages over what the state described as the unlawful and unconstitutional freezing of its Federal Statutory Allocation Account.

The suit, filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, lists the Attorney General of Osun State and the Accountant General of Osun State as the 2nd and 3rd plaintiffs, while the EFCC, its Chairman and First Bank Nigeria Limited are named as defendants. The originating summons was filed by a legal team led by M. T. Adekilekun (SAN).
The Osun State Government is asking the court to determine whether the EFCC had the constitutional authority to freeze the account without first obtaining a court order. It argued that under the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, the EFCC Act 2004 and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, the Commission lacks the power to freeze or restrict the account without due legal process.
According to the plaintiffs, the EFCC’s directive to First Bank, dated August 5, 2026, ordering the restriction of the account amounted to executive lawlessness, abuse of statutory powers and a violation of due process, the rule of law and the financial autonomy of Osun State. The state also contended that the action threatens its constitutional existence and deprives residents of democratic dividends.
The government further asked the court to determine whether First Bank breached its duty of care by complying with the EFCC’s administrative directive in the absence of a valid court order.
Among the reliefs sought are declarations that the freezing of the account is unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void; an order setting aside the restriction; a directive compelling First Bank to immediately restore full access to the account; perpetual injunctions restraining further interference without due process; ₦2 billion in exemplary and aggravated damages; and the cost of the suit. No hearing date has been fixed.
The legal action comes a day after President Bola Tinubu directed the EFCC to approach the court to vacate the order freezing the Osun account, describing the timing as embarrassing, particularly ahead of the state’s governorship election.
The EFCC had maintained that the account was frozen to prevent the movement of funds under investigation and insisted the action was not linked to the forthcoming election. The Commission said it had been investigating Osun State since March 2026 over the alleged fraudulent handling of Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and FAAC allocations amounting to about ₦11 billion.
Governor Adeleke, however, maintains that the freezing of the account is unconstitutional and politically motivated. The court is expected to determine whether the EFCC acted within its legal powers.