Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday arrested former Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos State.
The immediate past Governor has been on the Commission’s watch list for months, and was arrested at about 8.30pm while he was on his way out of the country to Houston, Texas in the United States after handing over to his successor, Governor Charles Soludo.
The EFCC had placed Obiano on its watch list since November last year, and had requested the Nigeria Immigration Service to inform it anytime the Governor is travelling out of the country from any of the international airports, as well as other points of entry and exit.
While it is not yet clear why the Commission placed the former Governor on its watch list, sources told Channels Television that the move was an indication that the agency may have been discreetly investigating the Governor and possibly have intelligence that he was planning to escape after handing over power to his successor, Professor Charles Soludo, on March 16, 2022.
Former Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Don Adinuba, had, at the time, condemned the EFCC watch list reports, claiming that they were politically motivated.
“Governor Obiano has a whole four months to remain in office as the Anambra State chief executive. Nobody in Nigeria can circumscribe his constitutionally conferred immunity which shields him from both criminal and civil prosecution.
“The EFCC went too far to announce in November that it is observing him. We are not aware of any state governor who had up to four months to be in office and the EFCC went on to sponsor media reports that he was being investigated,” Adinuba said.
