The EFCC has arrested the Accountant General of Edo over suspicions of diverting funds from loans
Twelve days before a new government is set to take office in Edo State, the Accountant General, Julius Anelu, and three others have reportedly been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly misusing a N5 billion agricultural loan.
They were taken into custody on Thursday and, as of Friday evening, were still being held by the EFCC in Benin. It seems they might be moved to Abuja on Saturday for further questioning.
These officials had been invited for a briefing but were then detained. A source revealed that these arrests have caused a major slowdown in government operations. The state government can’t access any funds since the signatories for various government accounts are involved in the arrests.
This situation could have significant effects, especially with the new administration about to begin. A government source mentioned, “They were arrested for a five billion naira agricultural loan, and as of Friday night, they are still with the EFCC. We hear they might be moved to Abuja on Saturday.”
When asked for confirmation, the EFCC spokesman in Edo State, Williams Oseghale, directed inquiries to the Commission’s spokesman, Dele Oyewale, in Abuja. When contacted, Oyewale responded via text, asking for a message to be sent, but had not replied by the time of this report.
