Osun Sues UBA, Top Officials Over Alleged Illegal LG Accounts

A Chief Magistrate Court in Osogbo, Osun State, has scheduled January 30 for the hearing of a criminal case instituted by the Osun State Government against United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc and four of its top officials. The case stems from alleged illegal opening and operation of local government accounts.

The suit, filed by the state government and marked Charge No: MOS/601c/2025, names the bank and the following executives as defendants: Group Managing Director, Mr. Oliver Alawuba; Company Secretary and Group Legal Adviser, Mr. Billy Odum; and Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Chukwuma Nweke.

According to court documents, the 31-count charge alleges that the defendants conspired, beginning December 9, 2025, at UBA’s Osun State branch in Olonkoro, Osogbo, to unlawfully open, operate, and maintain bank accounts for all 30 local government councils in the state. Each count relates to a separate infraction involving the councils.

The state government claims that the accounts were operated “by unknown private individuals as signatories,” contrary to directives from the Local Government Service Commission, which had introduced official council directors as the authorized signatories. The alleged actions are said to violate Sections 2 and 3 (1) and (2), and punishable under Section 5(1) and (2) of the Osun State Local Government Accounts Administration Law, 2025, as well as Section 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume 2, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.

At the last sitting, Chief Magistrate A. A. Adeyeba ordered that the defendants be served via their email addresses and other alternative means of service. No plea had been entered, and UBA has yet to issue a public response to the allegations.

The case is expected to attract intense public and legal attention, given the involvement of one of Nigeria’s largest commercial banks and the potential implications for local government finances.