The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has defended its decision to place a temporary restriction on the statutory bank account of the Osun State Government, insisting the action was backed by law and not politically motivated.
Speaking in an interview on Arise Television on Thursday, the Director of Public Affairs, Wilson Uwujaren, said the commission acted within the powers granted it under the EFCC Establishment Act and the Money Laundering (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022.
“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,” Uwujaren said.
—Legal Basis Cited—
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Uwujaren referenced Section 34(1) of the EFCC Act, which allows the Chairman or an authorised officer to apply ex parte to a court to freeze an account suspected to contain proceeds of crime.
He also cited Section 7(6) of the Money Laundering (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022, which permits the commission to place a “stop order not exceeding 72 hours” on any account suspected to be involved in an unlawful act.
“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 explained.
According to him, the freeze does not cripple government operations because the state retains access to funds in other accounts.
—“We Protected N12bn in Edo”—
Uwujaren dismissed insinuations that the action was targeted at influencing the Osun governorship election scheduled for August 9.
He said the commission had taken similar steps during previous election cycles to prevent last-minute looting of state treasuries.
“Osun state is not the first state we are taking this kind of action,” he said.
“During the Edo state election, before the coming into office of governor Okpebholo, EFCC also took action to restrict the account of that state government when we saw that funds were being moved to suspicious accounts. We were able to protect N12 billion for them. That is why the current government was able to come on board and had resources to work.”
He added that the commission observed a pattern where incoming administrations routinely complain of “empty treasury” after elections.
When asked if a similar freeze was placed on Ekiti during its June 2026 governorship poll, Uwujaren said: “We did not have any reason to intervene in Ekiti unlike the situation in Osun.”
—72-Hour Window—
The EFCC spokesperson said the current restriction on the Osun account will remain in effect for 72 hours, after which the agency will approach the court for a further order if deemed necessary.
The clarification comes hours after President Bola Tinubu directed the EFCC to vacate the freeze, citing concerns over timing and public perception ahead of the Osun election.
