The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has defended its decision to place a restriction on an Osun State Government account, insisting that it is empowered by law to impose a temporary freeze without first obtaining a court order.
The commission’s Director of Public Affairs, Wilson Uwujaren, made the clarification during an interview on Arise Television on Thursday, following criticism from the Osun State Government and the Nigerian Bar Association over the action.
Uwujaren said the restriction was placed on a single government account after the commission detected what it described as suspicious financial transactions over the past week.
“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.
He stressed that the action did not amount to freezing all of the state’s accounts.
“That restriction order does not mean that all the accounts of Osun State have been frozen. It is just a targeted restriction on one account of the Osun State Government,” Uwujaren said.
According to him, the commission noticed multiple transfers from the account to several corporate entities within a short period, prompting the intervention.
“The essence is just to preserve that account because we observed suspicious activities in terms of the transfer of funds to a number of entities within one week. We had to take that decision to place a restriction on that account,” he stated.
Uwujaren maintained that the EFCC was carrying out its statutory responsibility, arguing that failure to act could have allowed public funds to be diverted.
“We have the responsibility under the law to do so because if we don’t take that step and funds are looted from the account of the Osun State Government, the public will ask where the EFCC was when those funds were being moved,” he said.
He also dismissed concerns that the restriction would disrupt governance in the state, noting that the government still has access to other accounts.
“It does not stop the Osun State Government from running the government because they have access to other funds in other accounts. This is not a blanket freezing of the state’s accounts,” he added.
On the legal basis for the action, Uwujaren cited Section 34 of the EFCC Act and Section 7(6) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2022, saying the provisions empower the commission to temporarily restrict suspicious accounts.
“The restriction order can last within 72 hours before we can come with a court order if we need to provide one,” he said.
The EFCC had earlier disclosed that it has been investigating the Osun State Government since March 2026 over the alleged mismanagement of about ₦11 billion in Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federation Account Allocation Committee allocations.
The commission said some state officials, including the Accountant General, have already been questioned as part of the investigation.
The latest explanation comes after Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke challenged the restriction, describing it as unlawful and directing the state’s Attorney General to contest the action at the Federal High Court in Osogbo.
The state government maintains that while the EFCC has the power to investigate public accounts, it must obtain a court order before freezing them.
