The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has allegedly arrested all signatories to the Edo State Government’s bank accounts.
This is sad to be an alleged move to check the expenses of the outgoing administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Obaseki will hand over the baton of government to the Governor-elect, Senator Monday Okpebholo on November 12.
Sources within the EFCC and the office of the State Accountant-General in Benin, who pleaded not to be named, disclosed that five top officials of the State Government, among whom was the Accountant-General, Julius Anelu, were invited for a briefing on Thursday evening, and subsequently detained by the anti-graft agency.
The sources claimed that with the arrests, government activities had been halted, as the state government would not be able to access any government funds as the signatories to various government accounts were affected by the arrest.
The state government, the sources added, would not be able to pay emoluments due to civil servants, pensions, and other public servants, throwing the state into chaos.
Other statutory payments such as security bills and other obligations were also alleged to be affected.
It was gathered that the arrested officials might be kept in custody till 12 November, the day of the termination of the tenure of the outgoing government.
When contacted for confirmation, the spokesman of the Benin office of EFCC, Williams Oseghale, directed our reporter to the anti-graft’s spokesman, Dele Oyewale.
But when contacted on phone, Oyewale who replied through an SMS, asked our correspondent to send a text message, which he was yet to respond to, as of the time of filing this report.
