The arrested former Governor of Anambra State was arrested for alleged misappropriation of public funds.This is according to a source at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Mr Obiano was arrested by the EFCC on Thursday evening at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, hours after handing over to Governor Charles Soludo.
According to the EFCC source, he was arrested for misappropriating N5bn Sure-P and N37 billion Security Vote funds, which was withdrawn in cash.
Part of the funds were also allegedly diverted to finance political activities in the state, the source added.
Mr Obiano is said to have been moved from Lagos to EFCC facility in Abuja.
The former Governor, who has been on the Commission’s watchlist for months, was arrested at about 8.30pm on Thursday.
He was reportedly on his way out of the country to Houston, Texas in the United States.
The EFCC had requested the Nigeria Immigration Service to inform it anytime the Governor is travelling out of the country from any of the international airports, as well as other points of entry and exit.
Sources told our Reporter that the move was an indication that the agency may have been discreetly investigating the governor and possibly have intelligence that he was planning to escape after handing over power to his successor, Professor Charles Soludo, on March 16, 2022.
Former Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Don Adinuba, had, at the time, condemned the EFCC watchlist reports, claiming that they were politically motivated.
“Governor Obiano has a whole four months to remain in office as the Anambra State chief executive,” Adinuba said. “Nobody in Nigeria can circumscribe his constitutionally conferred immunity which shields him from both criminal and civil prosecution.
“The EFCC went too far to announce in November that it is observing him. We are not aware of any state governor who had up to four months to be in office and the EFCC went on to sponsor media reports that he was being investigated.”
On a related note ,a group with name- Ayamelum Frontiers for Democracy and Good Governance has revealed why Mrs Ebele Obiano was the most hated first lady in the history of Anambra State. The group disclosed that the former first lady was reckless and mindless while sitting in the Government house with the husband.Read the full story on her secret deals ”EBERECHUKWU OBIANO did the unthinkable when she exported Anambra State funds to Houston, USA and hired several U- Haul trucks, setting up under a bridge to feed Americans, even dashing them other goodies from bags filled with electronics and other gifts in that oil rich state, and using her front for laundering cash, called the CAFE FOUNDATION while millions of citizens in her home state of Anambra were starving and poverty ridden. She did not care about these poor masses, as her mission was to engage in this PR stunt in preparation for the elective office of Mayor of Sugarland, Texas. In preparation for this, this First Lady had been transferring huge funds from Anambra State treasury to USA using various fronts. Now she has changed her mind and decided to contest for Anambra North Senate seat.
She has applied for US citizenship but unknown to her, there are several petitions pending against her, both at the EFCC and the United States, even under the presidential proclamation 7750 which deals with corrupt foreign public officials who have domiciles assets, proceeds of corruption from their home countries.
Ebelechukwu Obiano’s overbearing and avaricious attitude has cost Governor Willie Obiano dearly. It was said that this was the major reason Willie Obiano couldn’t ascend the position of the Managing Director of Fidelity Bank. It was her attitude that drove the Governor into drunkenness especially when it became difficult for her to conceive.
It’s common knowledge that Mrs Obiano has overturned many Executive decisions that does not favour her business interest.
She has even caused letters of appointments made by the Governor to be either withheld or sub-planted with another one. It’s common knowledge that Mrs Obiano does not mind making their home uncomfortable for her husband until he reverses the Exco decisions. She doesn’t care even if by doing that, the husband commits an impeachable offense.
The most troubling reversal of Exco decision happened when Madam Governor used her diabolical powers to overrule the Executive Council decisions regarding facility management in the Government Lodges.
Despite Exco’s approval of some companies by merit, Osodieme swung into action to deploy her companies to the various contracts thereby nullifying Executive Council decisions. Till today, her companies are the ones executing all the contracts in all the Government lodges. And the worst is that in the face of all these, the Governor seems so powerless.
Mrs. Obiano’s appetite for money is unquenchable to the extent that she does not even understand what is meant by conflict of interest by those in government. She’s everywhere.
During the Covid pandemic , she hijacked the palliatives donated by FG to Anambra State and repackaged the food items as campaign goodies she wants to share during this coming Senatorial election.
In fact 2 women were shot dead when they tried to collect indomie packages that fell on the road from one of the trailers conveying those palliatives to a secret location for storage pending the coming Senatorial election. This is the height of wickedness.
She executes various fraudulent schemes using known proxies in all ministries. She uses CAFE her pet program as the reason for her excessive acquisitions. She manipulates the State’s IGR through Uche Okafor, Commissioner for Transport notoriously known as the Wiping Wiper and also using Dr. Nzekwu of the State Revenue Agency .
She forced the installation of her brother as the Anambra Market Chairman and he collects over N20m monthly in IGR from the markets in Anambra State but remits a paltry N300k to the state.
Below are some of the companies she uses to execute the facilities management and other contracts in Anambra State against the approval of the Anambra State Executive Council.
1. Golden Fingers
2. Siva Engineering
3. Moses must Win
4. Agape Holdings
5. Health Ambassadors and Associates
6. Imoyel Construction.
7. EOM Nig Ltd.
8. Heaven At Last Services
9. Shuhel Nig
10. Rejoice Nig. Ltd,
The ten companies mentioned above are owned 100% by madam governor of Anambra State. Those are some of the companies that Mr. Luke Obiakor uses to terrorise Permanent Secretaries in all the Ministries in Anambra State.
The slow pace of many contracts and road repairs in Anambra state like the Enugu-Agidi- Nawgwu -Ukwulu road which is not yet done 50% is because the job is under Mrs Obiano even when the contract has been fully paid.
The Amawbia-Nise-Nri-Agulu road rehabilitation is not done 30% because Madam Governor is the one handling the repairs and the Commissioner for works dare not query her almost uncompromising attitude to the pace expected of construction companies in Anambra state in execution of these road contracts
1. Paul Obiakor moves millions of naira every week to the governor’s lodge at Amawbia. We have records and will present this to the incoming governor.
2. Details of all jobs done in all ministries by Mrs Obiano will be published.
3.All the contracts Mrs Obiano cornered at ASUBBEB which she has not done and the ones she barely touched will be published in our subsequent publications.
4. Anambra Roads Maintenance Agency (ARMA) is squarely under Mrs Obiano as she positioned her cousin as the MD of ARMA since it’s inception. We have records of all roads she collected money for but refused to execute the repairs.
5. We will publish the names of Mrs Obianos’s agents in Ministries, Agencies, MDAs and Parastals of government in Anambra state who Mrs Obiano positioned as Commissioners and MDs. These people make returns to her every month.
6. After March 17 when she and her looting husband hand over to Soludo, we will expose local and international bank accounts of Mrs. Obiano. Monies she siphoned and lodged in accounts under the name of her mother, daughter, and brother as well as proxies in America and also those monies she lodged with a guy widely known as her boyfriend in America. She has, to date 17 properties in USA purchased through her proxies. Even 2 properties at Ruxton Road, Ikoyi were bought on her behalf by proxy. The London home of the Obianos was bought under the name of the younger sister of the wife of Obiano, and their 3 properties in Dubai were bought under the name of Ogechi, their daughter and their adopted son Chukwudifu and Mrs Obiano’s mother’s name. This greedy woman has emptied the state treasury and the Obianos will be leaving the state with a heavy debt burden.
She recently awarded herself the contract for the renovation of Abuja and Lagos Liason offices to the tune of 700 million. This was just weeks to the end of their tenure.
EFCC is waiting for this kleptomaniac couple. They will end up in jail”
This above report on Mrs Obiano was given before the arrest of Mr Obiano .
Sources:
1. Channel TV
2. Journalist 101
3. Ayamelum Frontiers for Democracy and Good Governance
