The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Ibadan has recently questioned several officials from the Ogun State government as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged financial misconduct.
The EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, confirmed the development during a phone interview with our correspondent on Wednesday.
According to Oyewale, the Ogun State officials were invited to the EFCC’s Ibadan office on Tuesday for a discussion related to the investigation. He assured that the officials had since returned to Ogun State, adding that none of them were detained.
“I can only tell you that they are officials of the Ogun State government and it was in connection with an ongoing investigation. It’s not more than that,” Oyewale stated when asked for further details.
Governor Dapo Abiodun’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Kayode Akinmade, who was contacted for comments, expressed unawareness of the EFCC’s actions, as he was out of town at the time.
Akinmade noted, “The EFCC can also invite anyone but that doesn’t mean such a person has been indicted.”
An anonymous source within the Ogun State government disclosed that five officials were involved in the EFCC’s inquiry. Their invitation reportedly stemmed from a petition submitted by Wale Adedayo, the former Chairman of the Ijebu East Local Government Area.
Last August, Adedayo accused Governor Abiodun of diverting N10.8 billion meant for the 20 local governments in the state.
Adedayo’s allegations gained significant public attention after a private letter he wrote to former Governor Olusegun Osoba was leaked to the media. Subsequently, Adedayo petitioned the EFCC to investigate the alleged financial impropriety.
The Ogun State government has strongly denied these allegations, asserting that they had instead provided additional funds to local governments, which otherwise would have struggled to meet financial obligations like salary payments.
Following his allegations, Adedayo was impeached and is currently on trial at an Abeokuta Magistrate Court for allegedly making false accusations and defaming Governor Abiodun.
Adedayo, when contacted, confirmed hearing about the EFCC’s recent invitation to the state officials, linking it to his petition. He remarked, “A lie can travel a thousand miles, the truth will catch up with it within a few seconds.”
