Edo State Government has confirmed the news making the rounds that the State Accountant General, Julius Anelu is held by the Benin Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
A statement signed by the state Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, revealed that the EFCC in a letter dated October 28, 2024, invited four officials from the State Treasury Office, including the Accountant General, Julius Anelu, to its office in Benin.
He said 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 officials, including the Accountant General on Thursday, honoured the invitation to provide necessary answers as required by the EFCC.
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The statement explained that upon realising 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 originally honoured the invitation by the anti-graft agency.
The Commissioner said it appears the EFCC is determined to cripple governance in the state and acting out a script that portends grave danger to democracy as the reason for the invitation of these civil servants is to keep them in EFCC custody till November 12, the day of the termination of the tenure of the current government.
Nehikhare noted that from Monday, government would have been grounded and will no longer be able to meet up with basic responsibilities and obligations.
He condemned the act which he described as reprehensible and urged the EFCC to act responsibly in the interest of democracy, justice, peace and the wellbeing of Edo people and immediately release the government officials, and not throw the State into chaos.
(Editor: Okechukwu Eze)
