The Edo State Government on has said its Accountant-General, Mr Julius Anelu and four other officials of the State’s Treasury Office were arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged agricultural facility loan which has already been paid by the state government.
Recall that the EFCC had last week Thursday arrested the state Accountant General and four other officials who were signatories to the state government’s accounts.
Responding to the arrest, the State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, condemned the arrest, saying it was aimed at crippling governance in the state.
Nehokhare in a statement on Sunday, said, “The state’s Accountant General and four others were invited by the EFCC over already repaid loan facility and to provide the necessary answers as required by the EFCC, only for them to be arrested and detained in Abuja office of the agency.”
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He said the EFCC in a letter dated October 28, 2024, invited four officials from the Edo State Treasury Office, including the Accountant General, Julius Anelu, to its Benin Office.
The letter read in part, “The invitation letter 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 officers, including the State Accountant General on Thursday, honoured the invitation as requested at the Benin Office of the EFCC to provide necessary answers as required by the EFCC.
“However, upon realizing 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 were originally invited and honoured the invitation.
“The reason for the invitation of these civil servants is clear, contrary to the invitation letter is to keep them in EFCC custody till November 12, on the day of the termination of the tenure of this government.”
He lamented that from Monday government would have been grounded and would no longer be able to meet up with basic responsibilities and obligations.
While describing EFCC’s action as most condemnable, he advised the agency not to throw Edo State into chaos, noting that the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration ran a transparent and accountable government.
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