By Tekena Amieyeofori
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, and Transparency International Nigeria have thrown their weight behind the EFCC’s decision to place restrictions on Osun State Government accounts.
The groups argued that safeguarding public funds must come first whenever there are credible indications that the money could be diverted or misused.
Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, who doubles as Head of Transparency International Nigeria, said the debate around the restriction had ignored a key issue: “Who protects the money of the people of Osun when alarm bells ring?”
The group maintained that public funds are owned by citizens, not by governors, political parties, or any administration.
It pointed out that essential services, including payment of salaries and pensions, healthcare, road construction, and school feeding, all rely on those resources being used for their designated purposes.
CISLAC warned that once money is channeled into questionable routes, recovery becomes very difficult.
The organisation therefore supported the EFCC’s use of account freezes as a temporary tool to protect both funds and evidence during an investigation.
“The intent is simple: pause first, audit second, prosecute third if necessary,” the organisation said.
CISLAC dismissed claims that freezing a state account automatically cripples governance.
It said the bigger concern is whether a short-term freeze for investigation does more harm than allowing billions meant for public services to vanish.
“What paralyses governance more – a temporary audit, or the disappearance of billions meant for public good?” it asked.
The centre noted that allocations at federal, state, and local levels are meant to fund government operations and public welfare areas such as education, health, security, infrastructure, and citizens’ wellbeing.
It said the EFCC’s action should be understood within its legal mandate to prevent financial crimes and secure assets that could be at risk during probes.
CISLAC also referenced similar EFCC actions in the past involving Edo, Benue, and Kogi states.
It recalled that ahead of the last governorship election in Edo, the EFCC restricted state accounts after receiving petitions and intelligence about alleged contract inflation and diversion of federal allocations.
According to CISLAC, the move helped preserve about N12 billion to stop the funds from being moved before a forensic audit.
The group also cited the Commission’s 2021 action in Kogi, when it secured a Federal High Court order to freeze a salary bailout account holding over N20 billion. The funds were a loan meant to support salary payments and running costs for the Kogi State Government.
CISLAC said the EFCC approached the Federal High Court in Lagos under Section 44(2) of the Constitution and Section 34(1) of the EFCC Act, arguing the restriction was needed to safeguard the money.
The court, it added, upheld the principle that the EFCC could take such steps in the public interest.
CISLAC said the same logic applies to Osun: probes should not be undermined by funds being dissipated.
“You cannot investigate a moving target,” it said.
The organisation urged the EFCC to move quickly when credible petitions, intelligence, or audit queries point to the risk of large-scale movement of public money.
“A state account can be emptied in 24 hours. A court case can take five years,” it stated, warning that waiting until a criminal trial ends could leave nothing to recover.
However, CISLAC said such freezes must come with safeguards, including defined time frames and judicial supervision.
It recommended that restrictions should typically run for 30 to 60 days, within which the EFCC should complete preliminary investigations and seek further court approval if needed.
CISLAC also called on the EFCC to make it clear that freezing an account is a preventive step, not an assumption of guilt.
The group commended EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede and his team for what it described as efforts to protect Osun’s treasury.
It stressed that the issue is not about which party controls the government, but about protecting public resources.
“The treasury does not belong to you; it belongs to the people,” CISLAC said.