The Osun State Government has dismissed allegations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that ₦11 billion was looted from the state’s coffers, describing the claims as an attempt to justify what it called the unlawful freezing of its bank accounts.
In a statement posted on X on Thursday, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, accused the anti-graft agency of making “unfounded allegations” to defend an illegal action.
According to the state government, the EFCC froze its accounts at the instance of former Governor Gboyega Oyetola in a bid to frustrate the payment of palliatives promised to workers.
“The real reason the commission froze the state account on the order of Gboyega Oyetola was to stop the payment of palliatives which the state government promised the workers some months ago,” the statement said.
The government, however, maintained that it had fulfilled its commitment despite the account freeze.
“Fortunately, we have paid the palliatives to all Osun State workers,” it stated, adding that the cost-of-living subsidy was not the first of its kind under the current administration.
Rejecting allegations of financial misconduct, the Adeleke administration accused the EFCC of carrying out a politically motivated investigation on behalf of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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“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.”
The government insisted that it has maintained prudent management of public resources and denied any diversion of funds.
“We don’t loot public funds in Osun State; we deliver on public goods and services.”
It added that available resources have been invested in infrastructure, workers’ welfare and other developmental projects.
“There is no fund to loot in Osun State as the little resources we have are expended on the many mega projects, workers welfare and sectoral developments for the benefit of the masses.”
The statement further claimed that the EFCC had been investigating senior government officials since March 2026 without finding any evidence of wrongdoing.
“The EFCC has been conducting a witch-hunting investigation since March 2026, without any indicting evidence against top officials.”
The government also alleged that top officials have been subjected to repeated harassment intended to distract the administration from governance.
It argued that if the commission had credible evidence of corruption, it should follow established legal procedures instead of freezing government accounts.
“Assuming but not conceding that the EFCC has any evidence of looting as posited, there are established procedures for bringing suspects to book instead of a politically motivated, unlawful freezing of government accounts without recourse to the rule of law.”
Describing the EFCC’s allegations as an afterthought, the government concluded that the claims were designed to tarnish the state’s image.
The response follows the EFCC’s explanation that it froze the Osun State Government’s bank accounts to prevent the alleged diversion of public funds ahead of the state’s governorship election scheduled for August 15.
