Osun Govt Denies EFCC Claim on Treasury Looting

The Osun State Government has dismissed allegations that about ₦11 billion was misappropriated from its treasury, insisting that no public funds were looted and accusing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of pursuing a politically motivated agenda.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, described the anti graft agency’s reported claims as an attempt to justify what he called the unlawful freezing of the state’s bank accounts.

According to the commissioner, the decision to freeze the accounts was allegedly influenced by former Governor Gboyega Oyetola to frustrate the payment of palliatives promised to civil servants.

He, however, stated that despite the restriction on the accounts, the state government had successfully paid the approved cost of living support to workers after concluding negotiations with labour unions.

Alimi noted that the palliative payment was part of the government’s efforts to cushion the impact of prevailing economic hardship, adding that similar interventions had been implemented in the past.

The government also rejected allegations of financial misconduct, accusing the EFCC of carrying out what it described as a politically driven investigation aimed at discrediting the Adeleke administration.

It maintained that available state funds had been channelled into infrastructure projects, workers’ welfare and other developmental programmes, stressing that there were no funds diverted for personal gain.

According to the statement, the anti corruption agency has been investigating senior government officials since March 2026 but has yet to establish any evidence linking them to financial crimes.

The government further alleged that the repeated investigations and invitations extended to its officials amounted to harassment intended to distract them from governance.

It argued that if the EFCC possessed credible evidence of corruption, the agency should have followed established legal procedures instead of freezing government accounts.

Describing the allegations as baseless, the state government said the commission was attempting to damage Osun’s reputation in order to defend an action it claimed had attracted widespread criticism.

The response followed the EFCC’s explanation that the freezing of Osun State’s accounts was necessary to prevent the alleged diversion of public funds ahead of the August 15 governorship election.