The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has taken the Accountant General of Edo State, Julius Anelu, and two other top government officials into custody. The arrests stem from concerns about significant withdrawals made from Edo State’s accounts in the final stages of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration.
The EFCC suspects that these transactions, which involve large sums of money, may be linked to financial improprieties.
According to an EFCC insider, approximately N24.6 billion had been deposited into the state’s account not long ago. However, within just a matter of weeks, nearly N10.6 billion had reportedly been withdrawn, leaving only about N14 billion in the account. These substantial withdrawals within a short time frame raised concerns among officials in the anti-corruption agency, who quickly moved to investigate the matter.
A source at the EFCC told PUNCH, “The amounts withdrawn were huge sums. For instance, about some weeks ago, N24.6bn was paid into that account. But in less than one week, about N14bn was remaining in the account.”
These developments come amid mounting scrutiny of outgoing Governor Obaseki’s financial decisions. The EFCC has reportedly been investigating Governor Obaseki since 2022.
This scrutiny intensified last month when Monday Okpebholo, the recently elected Governor of Edo State, raised accusations against the outgoing administration.
Okpebholo alleged “last-minute borrowings and looting” by Obaseki’s team and formally called on the EFCC, alongside the police and Department of State Services, to investigate these claims.
Despite the allegations, there has been a political rift in Edo State over these accusations. On Thursday, Abdullahi Ganduje, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), urged Okpebholo to concentrate on governance rather than initiating disputes with the outgoing administration.
Ganduje’s remarks came during a visit by Okpebholo and other members of the Edo APC to the APC National Secretariat in Abuja, where they had come to extend their gratitude to the party.
