By Celestine Okafor (Editor-in-Chief) @CeleOkaf11
The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) late Thursday night explained why operatives of the financial crime agency arrested the immediate-past governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, whose eight years tenure in government ended on Thursday, March 17, 2022.
Obiano formally handed over power to his successor, Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) at a colorful inauguration ceremony on Thursday morning in Awka, Anambra State capital.
Though the event was almost marred by a physical conflict that ensued between the former governor's wife and ex-Anambra First Lady, Chief (Mrs) Ebele Obiano (popularly known as Osodieme) and Ambassador (Mrs) Bianca Ojukwu, the widow of the former Biafran leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu (Ezeigbo Gburugburu).
Speaking in an exclusive interview with NIGERIAN NEWS-LEADER Newspaper late Thursday night on why Obiano was nabbed by the EFCC at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Thursday less than 24 hours after his handover of power, spokesman of the EFCC, Wilson Uwugiaren, confirmed that the news of the former governor's arrest was not a "media speculation but a fact".
Uwugiaren also explained that the arrest was as a result of the surveillance placed on him for some time by the Commission. He said the EFCC could not arrest him before now because of his constitutional immunity as governor which he has lost on Thursday as a result of his exit from office.
Uwugiaren however refused to state the specific offenses against the ex-governor on the basis of which he was arrested by the operative of the financial crime Commission. He said "we won't discuss the details of the crimes against him for now", the EFCC spokesman stated.
The news of the arrest of Obiano by the EFCC was reported on Thursday night by some of the online news portals. According to the reports, Obiano was arrested at 8pm at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, as he was about to board an international flight to Houston, Texas, in the United States of America (USA).
The EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwugiaren, did not want to say whether Obiano was nabbed alone or along with his wife, Ebele, and children. But his arrest may not be unconnected with the allegations of corruption and financial sleaze against his government.
He is said to be currently in EFCC detention on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. NNL.
