The Osun State Government has dismissed allegations that ₦11 billion was diverted from the state’s treasury, insisting that the claims attributed to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were baseless and politically motivated.
In a statement posted on X on Thursday, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, accused the anti-graft agency of attempting to justify what he described as the unlawful freezing of the state’s bank accounts through false allegations.
“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,” the statement said.
According to the state government, the alleged plan to block the payment was unsuccessful, as workers had already received the promised palliatives following discussions aimed at easing the impact of the country’s economic hardship.
“Fortunately, we have paid the palliatives to all Osun State workers,” the statement added, noting that the subsidy “was not the first time such a cost of living subsidy was paid to Osun workers.”
The government also rejected allegations of financial misconduct, accusing the EFCC of carrying out what it described as a politically driven investigation on behalf of the opposition.
“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,” it stated.
Maintaining that public funds had been properly managed, the government declared: “We don’t loot public funds in Osun State; we deliver on public goods and services.”
It further explained that available state resources had been committed to infrastructure projects, workers’ welfare and other developmental 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,” the government said.
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The statement also alleged that the EFCC had subjected senior government officials to months of investigations without uncovering evidence of wrongdoing.
“The EFCC has been conducting a witch-hunting investigation since March, 2026, without any indicting evidence against top officials,” the statement read, adding that officials had been subjected to weekly harassment intended “to distract them from delivering good governance.”
The Osun Government argued that if the commission genuinely possessed evidence of corruption, it should pursue legal procedures rather than freezing government accounts.
“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,” it said.
Describing the reported allegations as an attempt to justify an action that had failed to achieve its objective, the government concluded: “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 the court of public opinion.”
The response followed the EFCC’s explanation that it froze the Osun State Government’s bank accounts to prevent the alleged diversion of public funds ahead of the August 15 governorship election.