The Edo State Government has confirmed the arrest and detention of five treasury officials, including Accountant-General Julius Anelu, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The arrests, which were confirmed in a statement from State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, have raised concerns within the government about a potential attempt to disrupt state operations.
The statement, titled “Edo Accountant-General, Four Others Invited by EFCC Over Already Repaid Loan Facility, Officers Detained to Cripple Governance,” detailed the circumstances surrounding the officials’ detention.
Nehikhare explained that the EFCC’s invitation, dated October 28, 2024, requested the officials to appear at the EFCC office in Benin to answer questions related to a repaid agricultural loan from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL).
According to Nehikhare, while the invited officials complied by visiting the Benin office, one officer who was no longer a signatory to state accounts was later released.
However, the EFCC then detained a replacement signatory, transferring several officials to its Abuja office.
“The EFCC seems intent on crippling governance in Edo State and appears to be following a script with serious implications for democracy,” Nehikhare stated.
He alleged that the detentions could paralyse the state government, especially as the current administration’s term ends on November 12.
Nehikhare condemned the EFCC’s actions, urging the agency to release the detained officials.
“Governor Godwin Obaseki leads a transparent and accountable government,” he said. “Unconstitutional actions should not be used to hinder the operations of this administration.”
Meanwhile, Edo State Governor-elect Senator Monday Okpebholo has denied any involvement in the arrests.
In a statement by his spokesperson, Godswill Inegbe, Okpebholo claimed that the allegations were “a concoction” by members of the PDP and the outgoing administration.
Inegbe countered that the arrests were an EFCC measure to prevent unauthorised withdrawals from state accounts.
He added that recent allegations of looting by the outgoing administration were consistent with reports of theft from the Government House and various state ministries.
“With the EFCC’s intervention and the arrest of officials tied to government accounts, Edo residents are now seeing the scale of corruption within the outgoing administration,” Okpebholo’s statement read.
