Edo State governor-elect, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has denied any involvement in the arrest of Edo State Accountant-General Julius Anelu and four others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to reports, the EFCC detained several Edo State officials who are signatories on government accounts, with sources confirming that about five officials, including the Accountant General, are being held at the agency’s Benin office.
These officials were reportedly arrested on Thursday after being summoned for a briefing. Okpebholo described the EFCC’s action as a move to prevent any last-minute attempts to allegedly divert state funds by officials of the outgoing administration under Governor Godwin Obaseki.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Goodwill Inegbe, Okpebholo criticized those associating him with the EFCC’s actions, attributing such claims to discontented members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) still reeling from their loss in the September 21 governorship election.
The statement read, “The attention of the Edo State governor-elect, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has been drawn to a misleading publication circulating on social media, linking him to the recent arrest of the Edo State accountant-general, Mr Julius Anelu, and four others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“Our investigation has revealed that this baseless publication, filled with assumptions and lacking fundamental facts, was concocted by members of the PDP and associates of the outgoing administration under Governor Obaseki.
“In the publication, the author falsely accused the governor-elect of using the EFCC to intimidate officials of Governor Obaseki’s administration, whose tenure is set to end on November 12.
“It is evident that the PDP and members of Governor Obaseki’s outgoing administration are experiencing severe post-election defeat trauma. This has apparently led to unfounded reactions from them.
“The governor-elect, like every citizen of Edo, learnt about the arrest of Mr Julius Anelu and other state officials through media reports. The arrest by the EFCC reportedly aimed to forestall last-minute withdrawals from the state’s accounts.
“It is worth recalling that just over a week ago, through a press statement, we alerted the public and relevant security agencies to the ongoing looting of funds and theft of government properties at the Government House in Benin and across various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).”
