The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday questioned four ex-council chairmen over an alleged deduction of N11m each from their various local government areas’ accounts towards May of 2015.
Yesterday, 4 ex-council bosses from Oyo town – Samuel Olorode (AFIJIO), Gbolagade Okeniyi (Atiba), Adesoji Ojoawo (Oyo West) and Adegboye Mutahir (Oyo East), were questioned and released “after helping the commission with accurate and useful information,” an EFCC source confided in insideoyo.com.
The quartet were said to have arrived the EFCC Ibadan office around 10 am and were interrogated around 12 noon. “They cooperated with the commission and were told to go home, unlike others who didn’t cooperate with us. We, however, told them we may invite them again if the need arises,” insideoyo.com was told.
For months, the commission has been inviting the 33 ex-caretaker chairmen who served till May 2015, in batches, over what the deduction was meant for.
One of the ex-council chairmen who did not want name in print confirmed the development, saying that “we were not arrested, so there was no need for you to say we were released. Only those who lied slept in custody. They invited us and we graciously honoured it. We told them what we know about the deduction and we were asked to go in ‘peace’.”
Insideoyo.com had reported how the commission allegedly uncovered the deduction of the sum from the various accounts of the LGAs. It was also alleged that over N100m was found in the account of a serving permanent secretary in the state.
Out of the 11 former chairmen questioned, 4 of them were unable to render ‘reasonable’ account of what the money was deducted for and they spent nights in the commission’s net.
Meanwhile, the commission is set to invite the 5 ex-council bosses from Ogbomoso zone of the state after which it would reach the turn of Okeogun zone and the remaining two in Ibarapa zone.
