ELECHI GRILLED BY EFCC OVER COUNCIL FUNDS

 Ebonyi State Governor, Mr. Martin Elechi
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have quizzed the immediate past governor of Ebonyi State, Mr. Martin Elechi, in connection with an ongoing investigation on the administration of local government funds in the state.

It was learnt that Elechi, his son, and some state government officials who served under him, are being interrogated in connection with a multi-million naira asphalt project awarded to 13 local government councils in the state.

The Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed to our correspondent on the telephone on Thursday that the former governor was interrogated by operatives of the anti-graft agency.

He said “It is true that he was quizzed by the operatives of the commission.”

Elechi was invited to the EFCC’s headquarters to face a team of operatives
on Monday and Tuesday last week.

He was said to have faced the panel of investigators from the Economic Governance Unit of the EFCC for two days at the commission’s headquarters.

It was gathered that the former governor was not detained by the commission but was asked to go on self-recognition.

The source said, “The former governor of Ebonyi State was at the commission on Monday and Tuesday to answer questions on some contracts awarded to 13 local government areas of the state.

“Throughout last week, he was put on standby while the case of a former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, and his sons, was taken to court.

“He (Elechi) was not detained; he appeared on Monday and he was only asked to appear again on Tuesday after which he was asked to go on self-recognition.

“The commission is looking into the award of some asphalt projects approved for 13 local government areas in the state which were not executed in seven of the local government areas.

“It is an ongoing investigation. You remember that in January, some commissioners were quizzed in relation to the controversial projects and later the governor’s son Nnana, whose company was alleged to have handled the project, was quizzed.

“In fact, the son has been coming to the EFCC office even before his father left office. Now, the father too has been quizzed and the event is unfolding, it is a build up.”

It was learnt that the EFCC had sent out a team of external valuers to the local government areas in Ebonyi to assess the level of job done and compare it to the amount of money spent on the contracts in the six local government areas where the asphalt contracts were executed.

It was gathered that the commission would not file any charges against the suspects in the matter for now as those who went to Ebonyi had not submitted a report on their findings to the commission as of the time of filing this report.