Femi Falana states EFCC acted legally in freezing Osun State Government account
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has asserted that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC acted within legal bounds by freezing the Osun State Government’s account. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Falana explained that the EFCC possesses the legal authority to freeze state government accounts, provided a court order is obtained within 72 hours. He cited a September 2022 Court of Appeal judgment involving the Benue State Government and the EFCC, which affirmed the commission's power to place a Post No Debit restriction for a limited period before securing a court order. Falana also referenced a 2024 Supreme Court judgment that upheld the power of anti-corruption agencies, including the EFCC, to investigate accounts at federal, state, or local government levels. He noted that the EFCC obtained a Federal High Court order in the Osun case. The EFCC stated its action followed suspicious fund movements during an investigation into alleged fraudulent handling of approximately ₦11 billion in Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds, and Federation Account Allocation Committee allocations. President Tinubu had directed the EFCC to seek to vacate the order, citing inappropriate timing near the Osun governorship election. However, Falana highlighted that the Osun State Government challenged the legality and validity of the court order, not its timing, and cautioned against creating an impression that anti-corruption investigations sh
