Osun challenges court order freezing state’s account

The Osun State Government has taken the Federal High Court in Lagos to the task, seeking to overturn an ex-parte order that froze the state's account. The move comes after Gamji Nigeria Company Limited was accused of procuring the order using "deceit and concealment of material facts." This application was made on October 2, 2026.

Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, the state's Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, revealed that the order was fabricated due to "material non-disclosure to the court" and that the arbitration award it aimed to enforce was also marred with irregularities. Alimi insisted that the purported award referenced in the September 9, 2026 order does not exist, as there was no such award made against the state government in July 2024.

The only arbitral award against the state was made in July 2026 and is currently being contested by the state government's legal team at the Lagos State High Court. Alimi laid out the case's history, tracing back to 2017 under the previous governor's administration. The dispute centered on whether the Osun State Government owed Gamji Nigeria Company $15,982,638.22.

The state government claimed the matter was later taken to arbitration, which it alleged was "deliberately mismanaged" and "handled to favor Gamji Nig. Co. Ltd.," denying the state a fair hearing. The irregularities that marred the arbitration and the Final Arbitral Award were submitted to the High Court. Alimi's team filed a suit on September 1, 2026, to overturn the arbitral award, while Gamji approached the Federal High Court to "deceitfully procure an ex-parte order."