The battle over control of local government allocations in Osun State deepened on Thursday as the Oyo State High Court ordered the United Bank for Africa (UBA) to freeze 30 accounts linked to sacked All Progressives Congress (APC) council chairmen.
The interim injunction, granted by Justice A. L. Akintola in Ibadan, was sought by the 30 currently elected council chairmen, who argued that the funds were at risk of being accessed by the ousted APC officials.
According to a Certified True Copy of the ruling obtained Friday, the court directed UBA not to pay, release, or tamper with funds deposited in the disputed accounts, where statutory allocations from the Central Bank of Nigeria had been lodged.
Counsel to the claimants, Olalekan Adeoye, told the court that urgent intervention was necessary to prevent “irreparable harm” to the lawful councils if the former APC chairmen were allowed to withdraw the funds.
Justice Akintola agreed, ruling that the matter required immediate protection. “Any delay in granting the interim orders might foist irreversible harm on the claimants,” he stated in the October 2 ruling.
The court issued two directives: first, restraining UBA from disbursing money from the accounts; second, mandating the bank to place a “Post No Debit” (PND) restriction on all 30 accounts until the substantive case is heard.
The accounts, covering all Osun State’s local governments from Atakumosa East to Osogbo, were individually listed with their UBA account numbers.
This development follows a similar order secured last week by the Osun State Attorney-General, who also sought to block access to the disputed allocations.
The dispute stems from the removal of APC council chairmen by the state government, a decision that has triggered a series of court battles over control of local government funds.
Justice Akintola adjourned the substantive hearing on the motion for interlocutory injunction to October 9, 2025.
