The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has finally released former governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano.
The immediate past governor, who was nabbed by the anti-graft agency a few hours after handing over to the current governor, Charles Soludo last week, was given an administrative bail on Wednesday evening.
According to Daily Trust, Obiano’s passport was seized by the EFCC as part of his bail condition.
GBETU had reported on Wednesday that Senator Stella Oduah stepped forward to sign the former Governor’s bail bond if one of the condition for his bail stipulated that a Senator from Anambra State will sign the bail bond.
Senator Oduah has decided to focus on love and not hate as widely promoted against the former governor.
She is volunteering to do this on the grounds that Fmr Governor Obiano is among his constituents and also an illustrious Son of Anambra State.
Efforts to reach the Commission for comment on the development, proved abortive as at press time, as the EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren could not respond to text message forwarded to him.
Recall that Obiano was nabbed on Thursday at the Lagos Airport while on his way to the United States of America.
The EFCC spokesman had said that Obiano was on their watch list prior to his arrest.
The former governor was subsequently transferred to the headquarters of the commission, where he was quizzed for days over alleged mismanagement of N5 billion Sure-P money, N37 billion security vote, withdrawn in cash, as well as some inflated contracts.
Mr Obiano, who had been on the EFCC’s watchlist for some time, was arrested over corruption allegations.
“Obiano was arrested for alleged misappropriation of public funds, including, N5 billion Sure-P and N37 billion security vote which was withdrawn in cash. Part of the funds was also allegedly diverted to finance political activities in the state,” EFCC’s spokesperson, Mr Uwujaren told Punch newspaper.
Both the EFCC spokesperson and the commission’s chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, refused to provide further details.
“I don’t know what update you want me to give, because you have been accusing us of media trials, and you want me to say we are doing this and that. No, we (EFCC) would not do that. We would continue to do our investigation professionally as we have been doing,” Mr Bawa told journalists in Abuja.
A 12-second video of Mr Obiano in EFCC custody also went viral and caused controversy. In the video, he was dressed in shorts and a white shirt, drinking water from a bottle in a closed room presumed to be in EFCC custody.
The video elicited a wide range of opinions with many Nigerians denouncing it and demanding an investigation into how such was taken and leaked from the EFCC office.
The EFCC said it has identified the officer responsible for the act and the official is currently being subjected to appropriate disciplinary action.
