The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared Christopher Enweremadu and Fortune Ozoemela wanted over allegations of criminal conspiracy, diversion of public funds, stealing, and money laundering.

The EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said this in a public notice signed and made available on the commission’s website on Wednesday.

Mr Enweremadu served as commissioner for local government and chieftaincy matters under former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.

Mr Oyewale listed Mr Enweremadu’s last known address as the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Umuahia, Abia State.

He also stated that Mr Ozoemela, 40, is an indigene of Abia State, and the last known address is 122 Ozoemela’s compound, Amakama Olokoro, Umuahia, Abia State.

The EFCC spokesman urged anyone with useful information about their locations to report to any of its zonal offices in Ibadan, Uyo, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Benin, Makurdi, Kaduna, Ilorin, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt, or Abuja.

The EFCC’s fresh wanted notice did not provide details of the transactions directly tied to Mr Enweremadu.

Mr Enweremadu is linked to an investigation into the management of funds allocated to Abia’s 17 local government councils.

In December 2024, a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja ordered a probe into allocations to the LGAs between 2019 and 2023 and directed the EFCC to submit its findings.

The court also ordered the seizure of international passports belonging to Mr Enweremadu, Erondu Uchenna Erondu (a former aide to Mr Ikpeazu), and Deaconess Joy Nwanju, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters.

The court’s decision followed an ex parte application filed by an activist who alleged that billions of naira meant for Abia’s local governments was diverted under the supervision of the officials.

(NAN)