Osun Files Criminal Charges Against UBA, Senior Executives Over LG Accounts
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The Osun State Government has instituted a criminal case against United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc and three of its top executives over alleged irregularities in the management of local government funds in the state.
Those named in the suit are the bank’s Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Oliver Alawuba; the Company Secretary and Group Legal Adviser, Mr. Billy Odum; and the Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Chukwuma Nweke.
The case, filed before a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Osogbo, comprises 31 counts bordering on the alleged unlawful opening, operation and maintenance of bank accounts on behalf of the state’s 30 local government councils.
According to the charge sheet, the alleged offences date back to December 9, 2025, when UBA is accused of permitting the operation of local government accounts by unauthorised private individuals as signatories. The state government maintains that the Local Government Service Commission had formally introduced Directors of Administration and Finance of the councils as the lawful and statutory signatories to the accounts.
The prosecution contends that the bank and its officials acted outside the statutory framework governing local government finances, in violation of Section 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume 2, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002, as well as relevant provisions of the Osun State Local Government Accounts Administration Law, 2025.
At the last sitting, Chief Magistrate A. A. Adeyeba ordered that the defendants be served with the charge through substituted means, including electronic mail, due to the high-profile nature of the case. The matter was subsequently adjourned to January 30, 2026, for further proceedings.
No plea has been taken, and as of the time of filing this report, UBA Plc has not issued an official response to the allegations.
The case has drawn public attention due to the involvement of one of Nigeria’s leading commercial banks and its potential implications for transparency, accountability and statutory compliance in the administration of local government funds.
