Falana: EFCC Can Freeze Osun Account if It Obtains Court Order Within 72 Hours

Human rights lawyer Femi Falana says the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission acted within its legal powers by freezing an Osun State Government account, provided it secured a court order within the required timeframe. He said the EFCC may place a Post No Debit restriction on a government account for up to 72 hours before seeking a court order. Falana cited a 2022 Court of Appeal ruling involving Benue State and a 2024 Supreme Court decision affirming the powers of anti-corruption agencies to investigate public accounts. The restriction followed an EFCC investigation into alleged suspicious movements involving about ₦11 billion in Ecology Funds, intervention funds and FAAC allocations. President Bola Tinubu later directed the commission to seek the vacation of the order, citing its proximity to the Osun governorship election. Falana argued that elections should not prevent anti-graft agencies from investigating alleged movement of public funds, while noting that the Osun Government has challenged the validity of the court order.

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