Daud Olatunji
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has questioned five Ogun State government officials in connection with allegations of local government fund misappropriation.
This development follows a petition by former Ijebu East Local Government Chairman, Wale Adedayo, who accused Governor Dapo Abiodun of diverting approximately N10.8 billion meant for the state’s 20 local governments.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that, the Ibadan Zonal Office of the EFCC invited the officials for questioning on Tuesday as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged financial misconduct.
It was also gathered that Adedayo’s petition, submitted last August, prompted the EFCC to probe the state government’s handling of local government funds.
In response to the allegations, the State government has vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
Officials argue that the state has been supplementing Federal Government allocations to local governments to ensure they meet their financial commitments, such as salary payments.
Despite the state’s denial, Adedayo, who has since been impeached and is currently facing trial for allegedly making false claims and defaming Governor Abiodun, welcomed the EFCC’s investigation.
“Yes, I heard about it on Tuesday. I am sure it is about the petition I sent to the EFCC. A lie can travel a thousand miles; the truth will catch up with it within a few seconds,” Adedayo stated.
He added that the officials were granted administrative bail and were expected to return with documents to support their defence.
EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, confirmed the questioning but declined to provide further details.
“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. They have since returned to their state. Nobody was detained,” Oyewale said.
When asked about the identities of the invited officials, Oyewale refrained from providing specifics, stating only that they were representatives of the Ogun State government involved in the ongoing probe.
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