Edo confirms arrest of Accountant-General, others by EFCC over attempt “to cripple governance”

EFCC

The Edo State Government has formally confirmed the arrest and detention of five officials from its treasury office, including the Accountant-General, Mr. Julius Anelu, by the Economic Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, confirmed in a statement Saturday evening, titled “Edo Accountant General, four others invited by EFCC over already repaid loan facility, officers detained to cripple govt, governance”.

Recall that this medium had Friday reported the alleged arrest and detention of the said officials, based on anonymous sources in the government and the EFCC.

Nehikhare stated that the EFCC, in a letter dated 28 October 2024, invited the officials to its Benin office.

The statement reads in part:

“The letter of invitation, addressed to the Secretary to the State Government and titled “Loans and Agricultural Interventions Granted to Edo State Government from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) from 2018 to date,” pertains to an agricultural facility that has since been repaid by the State Government.

“The government officers, including the State Accountant on Thursday, honoured the invitation as requested at the Benin Office of the EFCC to provide necessary answers as required by the EFCC.

“However, upon realizing that one of the invited officials was no longer a signatory to the government account, the EFCC released the officer and requested for the current signatory, whose name was not initially on the invitation letter. The said officer is now also being detained by the agency at Abuja, in addition to the others who were originally invited and honoured the invitation.”

According to him, “the EFCC seems intent on crippling governance in Edo State and acting out a script that portends grave danger to democracy. The reason for the invitation of these civil servants is clear, contrary to the invitation letter is to keep them in EFCC custody till November 12, the day of the termination of the tenure of this government.

“In fact, from Monday, the government would have been grounded and will no longer be able to meet up with basic responsibilities and obligations.”

Nehikhare who condemned what he called a ‘devious and reprehensible action’, urged the EFCC to act responsibly in the interest of democracy, justice, peace and the wellbeing of Edo people and immediately release these government officials, and not throw Edo State into chaos.

“Edo State Government led by Governor Godwin Obaseki runs a transparent and accountable Government. This Government runs until November 12th, 2024. Unconstitutional actions should not be done to hinder its operations,” he added.

Meanwhile, the State Governor-elect, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has denied having hands in the arrest of the state officials.

Okpebholo in a statement by Godswill Inegbe, alleged that “a misleading publication circulating on social media”, was concocted by members of the PDP and associates of the outgoing administration under Governor Obaseki.

“In the publication, the author falsely accused the Governor-elect of using the EFCC to intimidate officials of Governor Obaseki’s administration, whose tenure is set to end on November 12.

“It is evident that the PDP and members of Governor Obaseki’s outgoing administration are experiencing severe post-election defeat trauma. This has led to illogical, absurd, and unfounded reactions from them.

“For the avoidance of doubt and to inform the general public, the Governor-elect, like every citizen of Edo, learned about the arrests of Mr. Julius Anelu and other state officials through media reports. The arrests by the EFCC reportedly aimed to forestall last-minute withdrawals from the state’s accounts.

“It is worth recalling that just over a week ago, through a press statement, we alerted the public and relevant security agencies to the ongoing looting of funds and theft of government properties at the Government House in Benin and across various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

“With the recent EFCC intervention and the arrest of key officials who are signatories to government accounts, Edo people can now better understand the extent of the looting spree within the Government House and MDAs in Edo State,” he said.