EFCC arrests & quizzes Ogun accountant general & 3 others over Local Government funds diversion

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibadan Zonal office, on Tuesday reportedly invited some officials of Ogun State government in connection with an ongoing investigation.

The Head, Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, confirmed the development to newsmen on Wednesday in a telephone chat.

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Oyewale said, ”I just called our Ibadan Zonal office, and it was confirmed that some officials of the state government were invited for a chat in respect of an ongoing investigation, and they have since gone back to their state. Nobody was detained”.

Asked to confirm the status of those that were invited by the anti-graft agency, Oyewale said, “I can only tell you that they were officials of Ogun State government, and it was in connection of an ongoing investigation, it’s not more than that”.

Meanwhile, it was reliably gathered from a reliable source that those invited were the State Accountant General, Mr Tunde Aregbesola, and four other officials of the government.

The invitation was said to be in connection with a petition written by the former Chairman of Ijebu East Local Government, Wale Adedayo, last August alleging Governor Dapo Abiodun of diverting about N10.8 billion meant for the 20 local governments in the state.

The top government official said, “It is true that the Accountant General and some officials of the state government were invited by the EFCC on Tuesday. I learnt it was about the finances of the state government, but I don’t know which of them”.

Recall that Adedayo had written what was supposed to be a private letter to a former governor of the state, Chief Olusegun Osoba, last August, accusing Governor Abiodun of diverting about N10.8bn meant for the development of the council areas.

Adedayo had also forwarded a petition to the EFCC calling for investigation of the state government for this financial infraction.

The letter, however, found its way into the media, becoming a matter of public discourse.

The state government, however, denied the accusation, explaining that it rather augment the monthly federal government allocations sent to the local governments, or else many of them would have found it impossible to fulfil their financial obligations, like payment of salaries, among others.

Adedayo, after his reported allegations against the state government, was later impeached, and he is currently standing trial before an Abeokuta Magistrate Court for raising false allegations and character defamation against Governor Abiodun.

Speaking with our correspondent on Wednesday, Adedayo said, “Yes, I heard about it on Tuesday. I am sure it is about the petition I sent to the EFCC. Lie can travel a thousand miles, but truth will catch up with it within a few seconds.

“A friend told me that the Accountant General was granted administrative bail so he could return with some documents, which he claimed would exonerate him. But others are still there. That’s all I know”.