Osun Governor Adeleke Names Who Allegedly Ordered EFCC to Freeze State Account

• The Osun State Government dismissed the EFCC's claim that a state account was frozen over a looted N11 billion
• The government accused the EFCC of acting on orders from former governor Gboyega Oyetola to block palliative payments to workers
• Governor Adeleke urged Osun residents to vote on August 15, warning against a return to what he called dark days of half salaries

The Osun State Government has rejected claims by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that it froze a state account due to a looted N11 billion, saying the allegation was fabricated to cover up what it described as an illegal and politically motivated action.

Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, issued the denial from Osogbo on August 6, 2026, through the official state government handle.

He said the real motive behind the account freeze was to prevent the state government from paying palliatives it had promised workers to ease the burden of the current economic hardship.

"All material facts point to the fact that the commission is pursuing a hatchet job for the Osun APC by illegally freezing the state account and falsely accusing the government of looting ecological and other state funds," Alimi said.

The commissioner confirmed that despite the account freeze, the state had already paid the palliatives to all Osun workers, describing the payments as part of a cost-of-living support arrangement that had been made before and arose from direct negotiations with workers.

Osun State Government accuses EFCC of political witch-hunt

Alimi said the EFCC had been conducting what he called a witch-hunt investigation since March 2026, harassing government officials on a weekly basis without producing any incriminating evidence.

He linked the action to former governor Gboyega Oyetola and an ally identified as Ambo, accusing both of an "historic anti-workers' obsession."

The government argued that Osun had won multiple awards for budget and auditing transparency, and that if the EFCC truly had evidence of wrongdoing, established legal procedures existed for prosecuting suspects rather than freezing government accounts without due process.

"It is sad that a commission will lie to destroy the image of a state to cover up an illegal action that has backfired," Alimi said, adding that the alibi offered by the EFCC could not withstand scrutiny in court or public opinion.

Read the Osun State Government's X post accusing the EFCC of political witch-hunt below:

Governor Adeleke warns against return to half salaries

Governor Ademola Adeleke separately addressed Osun residents in a post on X, connecting the EFCC action to what he framed as an APC attempt to regain control of the state ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

He accused his opponents of previously paying workers half salaries and leaving civil servants unable to feed their families.

"We will not allow APC to take Osun back to the days when civil servants had to beg their neighbours for food," Adeleke wrote, urging eligible voters to use the election to send a clear message in favour of what he described as progress and good governance.

EFCC explains why it froze Osun govt account

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the EFCC defended its decision to freeze the bank accounts of the Osun State government, saying the move was necessary to prevent the looting of public funds ahead of a governorship election in the state.

In a public statement, the EFCC said it had been investigating the Osun State Government since March 2026 over the alleged fraudulent management of Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds, and Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) disbursements, with the total amount under scrutiny put at N11 billion.

Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.