Posted by From Christopher Isiguzo in Abakaliki on
No fewer than nine officials of the Ebonyi State Government are now cooling off at the State Police Command headquarters, where they are being interrogated by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in connection with allegations of a fraud of over N30 billion leveled against the state government.
No fewer than nine officials of the Ebonyi State Government are now cooling off at the State Police Command headquarters, where they are being interrogated by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in connection with allegations of a fraud of over N30 billion leveled against the state government.
The EFCC operatives took everybody by surprise, as they arrived the state when preparations were in top gear for government officials to travel to Lagos for the PDP Presidential campaign flag off.
Some of the officials were arrested while they were about departing the state for the Lagos event. Those who have so far been quizzed as at the time of filing this report, include the state Accountant General of the state, Mr. Mike Nwankwo, Commissioner for Works and Transport, Engr. Paul Okorie, his Local Government and Chieftaincy counterpart, Francis Okorie, Commissioner for Agriculture Dr. Emmanuel Echiegu, that of Housing and Environment Mr. Ambrose Okoro, as well as Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB) Chief Austin Edeze.
The Chairman of the State Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, Chief Theo Muoneke was also said to have been interrogated by the EFCC officials.
When contacted, the Special Adviser to the Ebonyi State Governor on Media and Public Affairs, Dr John Out, denied knowledge of both the presence of the EFCC operatives and the alleged arrest of some government officials.
He said that all the Commissioners and Special Advisers, at the time of the alleged arrest, Saturday, were in Lagos with the State Governor, Dr Sam Egwu for the flag-off of the PDP Presidential campaign.
The State Police Public Relation Officer, (PPRO), ASP, N-Nudam Frederick, on his part confirmed the presence of the EFCC operatives in the state, but said he could not confirm if any arrest has been made, as he was yet to be briefed by the Commissioner of Police, Adenaya Gaya.
It would be recalled that a group called Concerned Citizens of Ebonyi state had last month in a 28-paged petition to EFCC alleged that the Dr. Sam Egwu led government had engaged in a monumental fraud and financial misappropriation.
The petition signed by one Obinna C. Nweke called on EFCC to carry out detailed investigations into the financial transactions of the state government including its handling of local government finances throughout the past seven years.
Men of the EFCC who, arrived the state Friday armed with the petition immediately commenced operations by inviting top government functionaries connected with every aspect of the petition to the State Police command where interrogation is currently going on.
When newsmen visited the state police command men of the EFCC were seen at the CIB division where the commissioner for Agriculture was being drilled for over four hours, but the EFCC operatives declined comment to the press.
The state Accountant-General Mr. Mike Nwankwo, when contacted, acknowledged his invitation by men of the EFCC stressing that the commission demanded that he presents some documents on the permanent site of the state university among others, while he faces further interrogation before the commission.
He declined knowledge of any petition written by anybody or group alleging that the state misappropriated over N30 billion arguing that the state never received that said amount in its total allocation in the past seven years.
He promised to avail the commission all necessary information available to his office of any financial transactions contracted by the state government in the past seven years of Dr. Sam Egwu's administration.
The chairman of the state Universal Basic Education (UBE) Chief Austin Edeze confirmed the presence of the EFCC saying he was comfortable with their investigation and was ready to make available all documents for scrutiny.
He said UBE had used every fund judiciously stressing that anyone who comes to Ebonyi to investigate the education sector would only end up giving the state additional awards as the state rank tops of others in UBE programmes and projects in the country.
Edeze said, as dean of the UBE in the country he has got to lead by example saying that he was willing to show EFCC what they have done and how funds were disbursed.