No Court Order Served Prior to Account Freeze, Claims Osun Legal Counsel

Counsel to the Osun State Government, Prof. Mubarak Adekilekun (SAN), has disclosed that neither the state government nor First Bank was served with a court order prior to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) imposing a restriction on the state’s statutory allocation account.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Adekilekun argued that statutory provisions, specifically Section 7 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, mandate that a court order must be formally issued and served on the financial institution before an account can be restricted.

“The letter was forwarded to Osun State Government, where First Bank confirmed that no court order was attached to it,” Adekilekun stated. “You can’t just go in and say you are using power vested in the Chairman of EFCC to put a PND on a State Government’s statutory account.”

Adekilekun dismissed allegations of money laundering, noting that the account in question is exclusively utilized to receive disbursements from the Federation Account.

The legal representative’s comments come amid conflicting legal interpretations following statements by human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), who asserted that the anti-graft agency acted within its statutory mandate, citing court precedents allowing temporary account restrictions pending judicial approval.

While President Bola Tinubu has since directed the EFCC to approach the court to vacate the restriction ahead of the state’s upcoming August 15 governorship election, Adekilekun indicated that further legal steps by the Osun State Government will depend on direct instructions from state authorities.