The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested some commissioners in Enug State over the ongoing investigations into the $115m (N23bn) allegedly disbursed by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke.
Mrs Madueke, who is being accused of massive corruption while office, was alleged to have provide the money to the then ruling peoples Democratic party during the build-up to the 2015 presidential election.
The Commissioners who were taken in for questioning included that for Water Resources, Chief Charles Egumgbe, who was the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party campaign office in the state during the 2015 election and that for Tourism, Rita Mba, who was the secretary at that time.
AChief Ikeje Asogwa, chairman of the PDP in the state during the 2015 elections, was also arrested. He is currently serving as chairman of the board of Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board.
EFCC head, South-East zone, Mr. Johnson Babalola, confirmed the arrests of the commissioners.
Babalola, while addressing journalists in Enugu on Wednesday, disclosed that Egumgbe, Mba and Asogwa were detained, and later released on bail.
Responding to questions by journalists, Babalola said, “They were detained, they made statements and they were later released on bail.”
According to him, the EFCC is still investigating former Enugu governor, Sullivan Chime, who was alleged to have received N450m out of the N23bn disbursed by Dieziani Alison-Madueke.
Meanwhile Chima was initially quizzed by the EFCC over the campaign fund, Chime reportedly told detectives that he handed over the money to the secretary of the campaign office, Mba, who was also the state’s Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-Government Affairs at the time and allegedly explained that the money was brought by two of his former commissioners, Joe Nmamnel and Mba, in company with Asogwa and a PDP chieftain, Prof. Osita Ogbu.
The former governor was said to have stated that he gave the money to his orderly for safe keep, with instructions that only Mba should have access to it to facilitate her work as secretary of the campaign office.
Babalola added that the anti-graft agency was also investigating how about N450m of the N23bn was disbursed in Abia State
