Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has dragged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before the Federal High Court in Abuja, demanding two billion in damages over the freezing of the state’s Federal Statutory Allocation Account.
The suit, jointly filed by the governor, the Osun State Attorney General and the Accountant General, names the EFCC, its Chairman and First Bank Nigeria Limited as defendants.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to determine whether the anti-graft agency acted within the law by directing the bank to freeze the state’s account without first obtaining a valid court order, arguing that the action violated constitutional provisions and due process.
According to the suit, the EFCC’s directive to place a “post no debit” restriction on the account amounted to executive overreach capable of crippling the constitutional responsibilities of the Osun State Government.
The plaintiffs urged the court to declare the account restriction unlawful, unconstitutional and void, insisting that the EFCC lacked the legal authority to interfere with the state’s statutory allocation account without judicial approval.
They also requested an order compelling First Bank to immediately lift all restrictions on the account and restore unrestricted access to the state government.
In addition, the suit seeks a perpetual injunction restraining the EFCC from freezing or interfering with any Osun State Government account without following due legal process, while also asking the court to bar the bank from acting on such directives unless backed by a valid court order.
The state government is further demanding two billion in exemplary and aggravated damages for what it described as the unlawful interference with public funds, alongside the cost of the legal action.
The lawsuit was filed shortly after President Bola Tinubu directed the EFCC to take immediate steps to unfreeze the Osun State allocation account.
The EFCC had defended its action, stating that the account was frozen to prevent the movement of funds linked to an ongoing investigation into the alleged mismanagement of about N11 billion in Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and FAAC allocations since March 2026.
Governor Adeleke, however, maintains that the action violated the Constitution and due process, insisting that the state’s financial autonomy cannot be undermined through administrative directives.
Meanwhile, no date has been fixed for the hearing of the case.
