The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has invited eight former local government chairmen in Ondo State over alleged misappropriation of billions of naira, Peoples Gazette learnt on Saturday. 

It was gathered that the LGA chairmen were allegedly invited during the week following petitions from concerned local government workers in their respective council. 

The LGA chairmen, who are presently being grilled at the Benin zonal office of the anti-graft agency, were said to be answering questions over a “fraudulent transactions” that took place in the councils in 2017.

The fraudulent transactions, according to sources who spoke with The Gazette, were carried out towards the “transition of power” between former administration of ex-governor Olusegun Mimiko, who ruled Ondo State between 2009 and 2017 and the late governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who took over in February 2017. 

The invitation of the former council bosses is coming barely a few weeks after the state held its LG election in the 18 LGAs of the state, with the ruling All Progressives Congress sweeping all the chairmanship seats and some councillorship seats.  

At least 13 political parties, aside from the main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party, participated in the LG election marred by low turnout of voters and heavy presence of security agencies. 

One of the sources who confirmed the development linked the council chairmen’s invitation to the petitions by some aggrieved workers in the councils, noting that the EFCC had earlier sent an invitation to the heads of administration department in the council areas but they failed to show up.  

“They are currently in the custody of the EFCC in Benin City to answer the case of misappropriation of funds in their respective council. The petition dated when Mimiko was preparing to hand over power to Akeredolu in 2017. The fraudulent transactions were made in the various councils using phoney accounts and contracts to embezzle billions of naira without making recourse to the yearnings of workers in the councils. It’s expected that those documents for the deal are still available for investigation, and these council bosses would be able to assist the anti-graft agency in providing answers. Let me also tell you that I’m aware that the ongoing investigations of the EFCC spanned across the 18 LGAs of the state. It is interesting that they all have a case to answer,” said one of the sources who confided in The Gazette.  

Although further details into the fraudulent transactions in the LGAs were still unclear, another source who spoke to The Gazette said that the EFCC last week stormed one of the councils, “Ifedore LGA” to invite some of the administrative staff of the office. 

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources revealed that treasurers and the head of the Local government administration, who were also directly allegedly involved in the financial racketeering, were picked for questioning by the EFCC.

He added, “I think the news of the arrest of the LG chiefs has reached the government, and there is now an intervention effort even from the labour leaders in the state. They have been asked to write statements at the EFCC office, and I’m sure more arrests would still be made.”

Confirming the development, one of the executives of the labour leaders in the LG council, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he was aware of an “invite” by the EFCC to the LG bosses but failed to speak further.

He noted that he was currently outside the state to know more about the arrest. 

A government spokesperson in the state, Ebenezer Adeniyan, was not immediately available to comment on the arrest. 

Contacted on Saturday for his comment on the issue, spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, declined to comment. Mr Oyewale didn’t give any reason for his refusal to comment on the issue.