Probe Launched into 18 States for Alleged Financial Irregularities, Says EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has revealed that it is currently investigating around 18 states for alleged mismanagement of public funds, according to the commission's Director of Public Affairs, Wilson Uwujaren.

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Uwujaren made this disclosure during an interview on Arise Television on Thursday, although he refused to disclose the names of the states involved in the probe.

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When questioned about the number of states being investigated, Uwujaren confirmed that the figure was in double digits, stating that there were about 18 other states with ongoing investigations.

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He declined to name the states, citing the need to protect the integrity of the investigations, and not to help any government evade scrutiny, as the reason for his reluctance.

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Uwujaren explained that the commission's action against Osun State was not an isolated case, mentioning that a similar restriction had previously been placed on an Edo State Government account before the emergence of Governor Monday Okpebholo.

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The commission's intervention in Edo State had preserved $12 billion for the government, according to Uwujaren, who noted that the current government was able to access these resources when it came into power.

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Uwujaren emphasized that the commission's interventions were guided by law and not targeted at any particular administration, stating that they were simply doing their work under the law.

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The commission's decision not to take similar action during the Ekiti State election was due to different circumstances, Uwujaren said, citing intelligence that only the commission had access to.

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Regarding the Osun State restriction, Uwujaren clarified that only one statutory account had been affected, and the state government still had access to its other accounts.

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The commission had a 72-hour window to obtain a court order to sustain the restriction or lift it, Uwujaren noted, adding that this window had not yet lapsed.

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Uwujaren stated that the Osun State Government was within its rights to approach the court over the freeze, and the EFCC would respond accordingly.

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The commission's legal basis for restricting accounts was rooted in Section 34 of the EFCC Act and Section 7, Subsection 6 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2022, according to Uwujaren.

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These provisions gave the commission the power to place temporary restrictions on any account suspected of suspicious activities, not limited to state governments, Uwujaren explained.

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The Osun State investigation was not a recent development, Uwujaren said, as it began in March and had already involved the questioning of some state officials.

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The revelation of ongoing investigations in 18 states is likely to increase scrutiny of state government finances nationwide, coming weeks after the commission's restriction of the Osun State account drew condemnation from the state government and the Nigerian Bar Association.