Edo State Chief Executive, Monday Okpebholo, has received the report of the Administrative Panel of Enquiry set up on the 18th of December, 2024 to investigate the monetary dealings of the impeached 18 Local Government Chairmen in Edo State from 4th September, 2023 to November, 2024 and has promised to petition the EFCC over its findings.
The Chief Press Secretary to the State Chief Executive, Fred Itua, revealed this in a statement.
He said the Chairman of the panel, Solomon Imohiosen, while tabling the report and recommendations to Lead Representative Okpebholo over the weekend revealed that discoveries and forensic investigations revealed that huge sums amounting to N96 billion were either mismanaged or diverted to private accounts.
“The panel’s investigation uncovered significant irregularities in the financial activities of the 18 Local Governments Councils. The recommendations outlined in the report aim to address these issues and promote transparency and accountability in the Local Governments finances,” Imohiosen said.
As indicated in a statement, the panel observed that N95 billion was received from the Joint Allocation Account Committee (JAAC) by the 18 Local Government Area Chairmen for the period investigated. It, in any case, reported that the assets were not prudently utilized as no significant projects were on the ground to justify the amount received.
The panel reportedly confirmed fraudulent diversion of Local Government assets to political godfathers in the State, claiming that over N10 billion was fraudulently siphoned, using the pseudo name, ‘Security, Environment and Training’.
The report is said to guarantee that the 18 Local Government Area Chairmen contributed to the account, which was used as a conduit pipe to deplete government assets, as money were moved from there to various individuals and companies.
Besides the impeached Local Government Chairmen who were reportedly indicted by the report, former State Chief Executive Godwin Obaseki, and leaders of the factional Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), among others, were likewise allegedly fingered.
