APC says matter should not be swept under carpet
The Oyo State Government has confirmed the arrest, detention and questioning of its Accountant-General (AG), Alhaji Gafar Bello, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged N9 billion money laundering, which was said to have been deducted from the local council funds.
The state’s Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun, who confirmed this yesterday, warned the commission to stop harassing the state government.
It was alleged that the commission arrested, detained and questioned Bello on Friday and thereafter released him on Monday, following hints that Governor Seyi Makinde planned to use the money to finance his 2023 re-election.
The money was said to have been allegedly siphoned through the Director of Treasury in the office of the AG, Mr. Michael Ayanniyi, who is now at large.
Olatubosun, in a statement, frowned at what he described as continued harassment and intimidation of the AG and other officials of the state government by the EFCC.
He said the development was unconstitutional and unacceptable and it is being contested in a court of competent jurisdiction.
The commissioner insisted that the arrest of the AG was a desperate and malicious attempt at thwarting a constitutional process that had already been instituted at the Federal High Court, Ibadan.
He said the government refuses to be intimidated, cowed or distracted from its goal of providing good governance.
Meanwhile, Spokesman of the EFCC in Abuja, Wilson Uwajaren, told The Guardian to call back for confirmation.
However, the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has insisted that the matter must not be swept under the carpet.
In a telephone chat, Oyo APC South Senatorial Chairman, Alhaji Mojeed Olaoya, said under no circumstance should the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the EFCC and other anti-graft agencies allow the matter to be swept under the carpet. “We hope they will seriously wade into it and ensure the issues behind it are unravelled,” he said.
SOurce: Guardian.ng
