The Osun State Government has dismissed allegations that ₦11 billion was looted from its treasury, insisting that no public funds were misappropriated and accusing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of pursuing a politically motivated investigation.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, the government described the allegation as an attempt to justify what it called the unlawful freezing of the state’s bank accounts.
According to the commissioner, the decision to freeze the accounts was aimed at frustrating the payment of palliatives promised to workers.
“The real reason the commission froze the state account was to stop the payment of palliatives which the state government had promised workers some months ago,” Alimi said.
The government maintained that despite the account restrictions, it had successfully paid the palliatives to workers after concluding discussions with labour unions.
“Fortunately, we have paid the palliatives to all Osun State workers. This is not the first time such a cost-of-living subsidy has been paid to workers in the state,” the statement added.
Rejecting claims of financial misconduct, the state government alleged that the anti-graft agency was acting on behalf of political interests.
“All material facts point to the commission pursuing a hatchet job for the Osun APC by illegally freezing the state’s account and falsely accusing the government of looting ecological and other public funds,” Alimi stated.
The commissioner stressed that the Adeleke administration had focused available resources on infrastructure, workers’ welfare and other development projects rather than diverting public funds.
“We don’t loot public funds in Osun State; we deliver public goods and services. The little resources available are being used for major projects, workers’ welfare and sectoral development,” he said.
The government further claimed that senior officials had been under investigation since March 2026 without any evidence of wrongdoing being established.
“The EFCC has been conducting investigations since March 2026 without indicting any top government official. The repeated invitations and harassment appear intended to distract the administration from governance,” the statement said.
It argued that if the commission possessed credible evidence of corruption, it should follow established legal procedures rather than freezing government accounts.
“If there is any evidence of wrongdoing, there are lawful procedures for prosecuting suspects instead of resorting to the politically motivated freezing of government accounts,” Alimi added.
The state government described the allegation of looting as an afterthought intended to defend the account freeze, expressing confidence that the matter would not withstand legal scrutiny.
The response comes after the EFCC said it froze the Osun State Government’s accounts to prevent the alleged diversion of public funds ahead of the state’s August 15 governorship election.
