EFCC Freezes Osun Salary Account 10 Days to Poll

The development came hours after Governor Ademola Adeleke alleged that the EFCC was planning to freeze the state's accounts and those of top government officials ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has frozen an Osun State Government account domiciled with First Bank, less than two weeks before the state's governorship election.

Documents seen by reporters indicate that the account, reportedly used for the payment of workers' salaries, was placed on a "Post No Debit" restriction by the anti-graft agency.

The development came hours after Governor Ademola Adeleke alleged that the EFCC was planning to freeze the state's accounts and those of top government officials ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, the governor described the move as an attempt to cripple government operations in the run-up to the poll.

Adeleke argued that there was no legal basis for freezing the accounts of the state government, insisting that the EFCC lacked the statutory authority to take such action.

A senior government source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly, confirmed that the account had already been restricted.

"I can confirm that the state government account has been frozen by the EFCC. It is no longer an allegation. The governor will address the press shortly to update the public on the situation," the source said.

As of the time of filing this report, the EFCC had not issued an official statement on the development, and the reason for imposing the restriction on the account remained unclear.