The main cause for Willie Obiano’s arrest and detention by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was revealed yesterday night.
The former governor was apprehended by EFCC officials, according to Vanguard, in order for him to account for N42 billion in public funds.
The ex-governor was apprehended by DSS agents and handed over to the EFCC on Thursday night while attempting to flee Nigeria.
According to a credible source within the EFCC, the former governor allegedly misappropriated N37 billion from security votes and another N5 billion from the SURE-P fund.
According to the source, the former governor spent N37 billion to facilitate political events in the state and should account for the funds.
It was reported late last year that a Southeast governor had transferred $4 million to a senior INEC official in order to tamper with the Anambra poll, but the governor in question could not be identified at the time.
The former governor was stopped from boarding a Delta Airlines flight to the United States of America by operatives of the Department of State Services at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, after being flagged by the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS.
Credible security officers involved in the operations that resulted in Willie Obiano’s arrest stated that the former governor sought to outwit security personnel but was however caught and arrested.
A source said, “The former governor had schemed effectively to escape to the United State with the positioning of a private jet at the Anambra International Airport to ferry him away from the state shortly after handing over to the new governor.
“But unknown to the former governor, security operatives had also been monitoring the private jet and his movements from the Awka Airport up to his arrival at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos.
“The truth is that as soon as the private jet conveying Obiano and his wife, left Awka for Lagos, a coordinated alert was triggered to the relevant security agencies to be on the watch out for the former governor.
“Chief Obiano, who was billed to fly direct to the U.S with his wife on a Delta Airlines flight that night, was however stopped from flying and the airline promptly notified of his unavailability to fly so as not to unduly delay the international flight.”
