EFCC detains Edo Account-General over withdrawal of huge amount as Obaseki’s administration ends

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has detained Julius Anelu, the Accountant General of Edo State, along with two other government officials as the administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki in Edo State comes to a close.

AFRIPOST gathered that the officials who were arrested were detained for allegedly making large withdrawals from the State’s derivation account.

This comes after Obaseki’s administration was accused by Senator Monday Okpebholo of “last-minute borrowings and looting.”

According to PUNCH, which cites a reliable source in the EFCC, N14 billion was left over a week after N24.6 billion was transferred into the government’s account.

“We made some arrests of about two to three persons, including the Accountant General of the state. We have been investigating the governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki, since 2022 but this latest arrest was as a result of some withdrawals from the state’s derivation account.

“The amounts withdrawn were huge sums. For instance, about some weeks ago, N24.6bn was paid into that account. But in less than one week, about N14bn was remaining in the account. To save the state, we had to quickly move. We are not in any way doing that to ground the state activities”, said the source.

As of the time of this publication, the EFCC has not yet responded to the development officially.

Philip Shaibu, the deputy governor of Edo State who had been restored, expressed concern in October about suspected schemes by his counterpart, Governor Godwin Obaseki, to embezzle funds from the state treasury.

During a press event in Benin City, Shaibu said that he was offering a N1 million monetary prize to anyone with information about suspected government property stealing as the administration comes to an end.

He also stated that he had proof of the last-minute borrowing from banking institutions and the purported theft in some areas.

Additionally, he had urged the Department of State Services (DSS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and other pertinent organisations to investigate the purported misappropriation of funds intended for the ongoing Radisson Hotel project, the Ministry of Roads and Bridges, and last-minute appointments made by the departing administration.