The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has detained Joy Enwa, the accountant-general of Delta State, over allegations of a N1.3 trillion fraud linked to the administration of Ifeanyi Okowa, the state’s former governor.
Confirming the detention on Thursday, Dele Oyewale, EFCC spokesperson, said Enwa was interrogated and later released.
“Mrs. Enwa was detained for questioning over the ongoing investigation into the mismanagement of state funds under the former (Okowa) administration. Some other government officials have also been interrogated,” Oyewale stated.
The anti-graft agency has questioned several officials connected to the case, including a former director of finance and administration and a senior government house official. These individuals were questioned and have since been released
This follows the November 4 arrest of Okowa himself, who is accused of diverting N1.3 trillion, including portions of the 13 percent derivation funds allocated to oil-producing states.
The former governor is alleged to have used public funds to acquire properties in Abuja and Asaba, the Delta state capital.
Okowa, however, has denied all allegations, describing his arrest and investigation as “politically motivated”.
In an interview, Enwa declined to comment on the details of her arrest, stating she was not the appropriate source to verify the allegations. “Why don’t you reach out to the commission to give you details of my arrest and detention if at all I was actually arrested and detained by the commission?” she said.
