Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has filed a two billion naira lawsuit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and First Bank Nigeria over a restriction placed on the state’s Federal Statutory Allocation Account. The suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, challenges the Post-No-Debit order the anti-graft agency issued to the bank on August 5, 2026. The Attorney-General and Accountant-General of Osun State are listed as co-plaintiffs, while the EFCC, its chairman and First Bank stand as defendants.
The plaintiffs argue that the restriction on account number 2017170947 is unlawful, unconstitutional and likely to disrupt government operations. They are seeking two billion naira in exemplary and aggravated damages, claiming the move amounts to unlawful interference with public funds. The legal team led by M. T. Adekilekun (SAN) wants the court to decide whether the EFCC had the power to freeze a state government account without first obtaining a court order.
The state government further accuses First Bank of breaching its duty of care by complying with an administrative letter rather than waiting for a valid judicial directive. It is asking the court to declare the bank’s action a violation of the duty owed to the state and to stop it from imposing similar restrictions in the future unless backed by proper legal process. Among the reliefs sought is an order setting aside the EFCC letter with reference CR:3000/EFCC/ABJ/HQ/PFS/TA/OSUN/VOL.17/666.
Adeleke and the other plaintiffs are also requesting a perpetual injunction to prevent the EFCC from interfering with any Osun government account without following due process. The commission had confirmed it restricted the account as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged mismanagement of public funds, including ecology and intervention allocations totalling about eleven billion naira. The agency maintained the step was necessary after large sums moved into suspicious corporate accounts.
The lawsuit comes shortly after President Bola Tinubu directed the EFCC to take steps to lift the restriction. Tinubu described the timing of the action, which came days before the state governorship election, as deeply embarrassing, even while acknowledging the commission’s statutory mandate. No hearing date has been fixed yet.
