EFCC places Obaseki on watch list, begins contracts probe

Former Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, is on the watch list of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, The PUNCH has learnt.

This is just as our correspondent gathered that the anti-graft agency had commenced an investigation into transactions, including contracts awarded during his tenure as the governor of Edo State.

Obaseki, who bowed out of office on November 12 after an eight-year tenure, had said the EFCC planned to arrest him soon after stepping out of office.

His successor, Monday Okpebholo, has just established a 14-member State Assets Verification Committee to investigate his tenure.

Similarly, the EFCC had on November 2 arrested five Edo government officials who served under Obaseki, including the Accountant General, Julius Anelu, over huge withdrawals from the state treasury within a short period of time.

But Obaseki had on November 8 said he was not scared of a probe by the EFCC.

The former governor said he would be willing to submit himself to the anti-graft agency to give an account of his tenure.

However, top sources in the commission, who pleaded anonymity because they were not permitted to speak on the matter, said so far the bulk of the transactions under Obaseki’s administration had not been directly linked to him.

The source said, “An investigation has commenced on his administration. He can’t just be invited until the work has got to a certain stage. Some team of crack investigators have been assigned to the case and have been trying to unravel some of the transactions including contracts awarded under his administration.

“The bulk of the transactions, you can’t trace it to him. He made use of others. There have been leads which we have been following and we hope to get something substantial.”

Asked if Obaseki had been watch-listed, another source said though not limited to Obaseki, all former governors are being watchlisted by the commission.

“All former governors are always on the commission’s watch list whether the commission has something with the fellow or not. We are not going to allow them to jet out of the country and then start going after them when we need them. So that is why we always place all of them on our watch list,” the source said.

Efforts to get the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, proved abortive as calls to his line were not answered. He had yet to respond to a text message sent to him on the matter as of the time of filing this report.