EFCC places Obaseki on watch list, begins contracts probe

Godwin Obaseki, the former governor of Edo State, is on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission's watch list.

Our source has learnt that the anti-graft agency has started looking into transactions, including contracts given out while he was Edo State's governor.

Obaseki had stated that the EFCC intended to arrest him shortly after he resigned from office on November 12 after an eight-year term.

A 14-member State Assets Verification Committee was been formed by his successor, Monday Okpebholo, to look into his term.Likewise, on November 2, the EFCC detained five Edo government officials under Obaseki, including Julius Anelu, the Accountant General, for making large withdrawals from the state treasury in a short amount of time.
However, Obaseki had stated on November 8 that he was not afraid of an EFCC investigation.

The former governor stated that he would be open to providing an account of his term to the anti-graft agency.However, the majority of the transactions under Obaseki's administration have not yet been directly connected to him, according to top commission sources who requested anonymity because they were not allowed to discuss the issue.

"An investigation into his administration has begun," the insider stated. 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 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.
You can't link him to the majority of the transactions. He exploited others. We have been pursuing certain leads in the hopes of obtaining anything significant.

When asked if Obaseki was on the radar, a second source stated that the commission is keeping an eye on all past governors, not just Obaseki.

Regardless of whether the commission has a relationship with the previous governor or not, they are all constantly on its watch list. In the event that we need them, we will not let them leave the nation and then pursue them. Therefore, we always put them all on our watch list for that reason," the source stated.

Attempts to obtain the Head of Media and Publicity at the EFCC, 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.