The Edo State Government has officially confirmed that five officials from its treasury department, including Accountant-General Mr. Julius Anelu, have been arrested and detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
This was disclosed by State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, in a statement titled, “Edo Accountant-General, four others invited by EFCC over already repaid loan facility, officers detained to cripple govt, governance,” issued on Saturday evening.
Reports of the officials’ detention had initially emerged from anonymous sources within the government and the EFCC. Nehikhare revealed that the EFCC had issued a letter dated October 28, 2024, inviting the officials to its Benin office for questioning.
The statement reads, in part:
“The letter of invitation, addressed to the Secretary to the State Government, focused on ‘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,’ concerning an agricultural loan that the State Government has since repaid.”
Nehikhare explained that the officials, including the State Accountant-General, honored the EFCC invitation on Thursday to provide information as requested. However, the EFCC, upon discovering that one of the officials was no longer a signatory on government accounts, released that individual and detained the current signatory, whose name had not initially appeared in the invitation. The updated group of officials is now being held at the EFCC office in Abuja.
Nehikhare criticized the detentions, stating that the EFCC appears intent on “crippling governance in Edo State” by detaining civil servants until November 12, the end of the current administration’s tenure. “This action aims to immobilize the government, preventing it from meeting essential responsibilities and obligations,” he added. He called the EFCC’s actions “devious and reprehensible,” urging the agency to uphold democratic principles and release the officials to avoid unnecessary disruption in Edo State.
Governor Godwin Obaseki emphasized that his administration, which is committed to transparency and accountability, should be allowed to serve its full term without interference. Meanwhile, Governor-elect Senator Monday Okpebholo denied any involvement in the arrests, countering rumors that he had instigated the EFCC’s actions against the outgoing administration.
In a statement by his representative, Godswill Inegbe, Okpebholo attributed the rumors to members of the PDP, whom he said are grappling with the outcome of the recent elections. He clarified that he, like other Edo residents, learned about the arrests through media reports, which suggested that the EFCC’s actions aim to prevent last-minute withdrawals from state accounts.
“We previously alerted the public and security agencies about ongoing misappropriation and theft within Government House and various MDAs,” Okpebholo noted. “With the EFCC’s recent intervention, Edo people now have a clearer understanding of the looting within these institutions.”
