Concerns Raised Over Tinubu's EFCC Intervention in Osun

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Transparency International Nigeria raised concerns regarding President Bola Tinubu's direct intervention in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission's (EFCC) freezing of Osun State government accounts. Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Executive Director of CISLAC and Head of Transparency International Nigeria, stated that the President's instruction to the EFCC to seek the lifting of a court order undermines the operational independence of Nigeria's anti-corruption agencies and judiciary.

Rafsanjani emphasized that the EFCC acted within its legal mandate to freeze the accounts based on credible evidence of potential misuse of public funds. He warned that such presidential intervention could create a perception of political control over anti-corruption investigations, damaging institutional independence.

Rafsanjani called for strengthening the independence of anti-corruption agencies, asserting that the EFCC should make operational decisions without awaiting political instructions and that the judiciary should correct any improper decisions made by the EFCC.