Osun account freeze: No court order was served, says state counsel

Osun State Government counsel, Prof. Mubarak Adekilekun SAN, has clarified that no court order was served when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) placed restrictions on the state's statutory allocation account. This comes amid controversy surrounding the EFCC's actions. According to Adekilekun, the law mandates a court order be issued and served to the bank before such restrictions can be imposed.

The EFCC's letter was sent to First Bank, which then forwarded it to the Osun State Government. However, First Bank confirmed that no court order was attached to the letter. Adekilekun emphasized that the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act requires a court order before such actions can be taken. He dismissed allegations of money laundering, stating that the account only received allocations from the Federation Account.

Human rights lawyer Femi Falana had previously stated that the EFCC had the legal authority to freeze the account if a court order was obtained within the stipulated period. President Bola Tinubu has since directed the EFCC to seek court intervention to vacate the order due to its timing ahead of the August 15 Osun governorship election.