EFCC Still Holding Edo AG Over N24.6bn Allegedly Spent on Bulletproof SUVs, Salaries, Others by Obaseki

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By Correspondent

More facts have emerged on why the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is still holding some staff of Edo State Government, including the Accountant General of the state, Mr. Julius Anelu and three others.

Midwest Herald investigation revealed yesterday that, investigators of the anti corruption agency have extended their investigation into other transactions, especially those carried out recently by the outgoing Governor Godwin Obaseki.

In particular, the disbursement of N24. 6bn which Midwest Herald learnt came into the state treasury in the month of October. During the investigation, it was discovered that substantial part of the fund has been spent within days and this development became curious.

Further checks by Midwest Herald showed that the N24.6bn was paid into a “non-spending account” from where various sums were then transferred to other sundry accounts.

It was also discovered that monies have actually been moved out of these sundry accounts to other accounts which the EFCC is presently trying to trace and unravel the purpose and beneficiaries. The agency is demanding to know what the huge last minute expenditure was meant for.

For instance, a payment was allegedly made to ‘Fogei Concept’ which the civil servants claimed was for the purchase of two bulletproof Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs); payment of salaries and other expenditures approved by the outgoing Governor Obaseki.

Some stakeholders, especially the civil servants are demanding that the EFCC should deepen their investigation to ascertain the role played by others, including line managers, the commissioners that have so far been mentioned in the two ongoing investigations of the Central Bank Agricultural Loan and the N24.6bn.

They argued that, the treasury department of government is conduit without approving authority and called on EFCC to also arrest the political appointees.

“We don’t award contract. Ours is to carry out directives from above based on approvals from the right quarters,” a very angry senior civil servant told Midwest Herald reporter yesterday in Edo State Government House.