EFCC logo and Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke
Osun State Government has rejected claims by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that about ₦11 billion was looted from the state’s accounts, describing the allegation as false and an attempt to justify what it called the unlawful freezing of government funds.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo, the government alleged that the freezing of the state’s accounts was politically motivated and aimed at frustrating the payment of palliatives to workers.
According to the statement, the action was allegedly carried out “on the order of Gboyega Oyetola” to prevent the disbursement of the financial support promised to civil servants.
> “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. This account freezing marks the climax of Oyetola/Ambo’s historic anti-workers’ obsession.”
The government said the palliative payments had already been made to workers after discussions with labour unions to cushion the impact of the country’s economic hardship.
> “Fortunately, we have paid the palliatives to all Osun state workers. The latest payment of palliatives followed negotiation arising from workers’ request to cushion the effect of the harsh economic climate. This was not the first time such a cost of living subsidy was paid to Osun workers.”
The state further accused the anti-graft agency of acting in the interest of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun, insisting that the allegations of looting were baseless.
> “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. We don’t loot public funds in Osun state; we deliver on public goods and services.”
Defending its financial management, the government maintained that available resources had been channelled into infrastructure projects, workers’ welfare and other development programmes.
> “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. We reject attempts to tarnish the image of our hard-working governor.”
The statement also alleged that the EFCC had been investigating senior government officials since March 2026 without establishing any evidence of financial misconduct.
> “The EFCC has been conducting a witch-hunting investigation since March 2026, without any indicting evidence against top officials. Government officials are being harassed on a weekly basis, all with the sole aim of distracting them from delivering good governance to the Osun population.”
The government added that Osun had earned recognition for transparency in budgeting and auditing, arguing that if the commission genuinely had evidence of wrongdoing, it should follow due legal process instead of freezing government accounts.
> “Osun has won several awards on budget and auditing transparency. 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.”
The statement concluded by accusing the commission of trying to damage the state’s reputation.
> “It is sad that a commission will lie to destroy the image of a state to cover up an illegal action that has backfired. This alibi from the commission is an afterthought and it cannot stand the test of truth in reality and court of public opinion.”
The response came after the EFCC explained 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.
