Group Urges Security Operatives to Place Osun L.G Boss, Olubunmi Ezekiel On Watch Over N193M Fraud Allegation
A transparency group, the Centre for Transparency in Governance (CTG)
has urged the security operatives to place the outgoing Chairman,
Oriade Local Government area of Osun State, Mr. Olubunmi Ezekiel
Obeissun, under the security watch in order to stop his plan to jet
out of the country without the knowledge of authority of the
anti-graft body that was investigating him on the alleged N193 million
misappropriations of the Council funds.
Mr. Obeisun has been under the criminal financial investigation of
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) since November 2020
for alleged fraud, adding that Mr. Obeisun had concluded arrangement
to leave the country for another shore to escape the ongoing
investigation of EFCC about his administration from January 2018 to
November 2020.
Investigation has it that Obeisun had involved in the fraud while
working with old National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) now Power
Holdings Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and ran to neighbouring Republic of
Ghana to escape the criminal prosecution of the alleged fraud then.
Investigation also recorded that this was how former Chairman of the
Council area, Mr. Caleb Ojo, began his journey to Prison (Correctional
Centre) for
misappropriation of the same Local Government funds.
According to the Petition Letter, sent to the authorities of Nigeria
Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Directorate of
State Security (DSS) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) on the hidden motive of the council boss to evade the
investigation and possible prosecution for misappropriation of public
funds.
The Petition Letter dated 13th of January, 2021 and signed by one
Comrade Michael James, the CTG’s Director of Mobilization and copies
were made available to newsmen on Friday, informing the concern
authorities not to allow Obeisun to escape from shore of Nigeria.
The letter reads in part, “Sir, it is against this backdrop that we
are informing your authority to assist in placing the outgoing
Chairman,Oriade Local Government area of Osun State,Mr. Olubunmi
Ezekiel Obeisun on security watch so as to prevent him from escaping
out of the shore of Nigeria because he is currently facing financial
crime investigation of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (
EFCC).
“Information at our disposal revealed that Mr. Obeisun had concluded
plan to jet out of the country in to evade the ongoing investigation
and possible prosecution of the EFCC, after his tenure of office to be
ended on the 5th of February, 2021.
“As an organization in the temple of war against corruption we would
not fold our arms and allow alleged offender of corrupt practices to
evade the investigation by running away from the county to another
country.”
The transparency group had earlier written the anti-gratf agency in a
letter dated 6th of November, 2020 and forwarded to the office of the
Acting Chairman of EFCC and Zonal Head of the EFCC in Southwestern
Nigeria.
The letter noted that “CTG, as a believer in transparency in
governance to draw the attention of anti-graft agency to the obvious
financial impunities, illegal and criminal diversion of public funds
belonging to Oriade Local Government area, Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State, to
the tune of One Ninety-Three million (193,000,000) through the
duplication of contract projects and disparities between the actual
cost and receipts (invoicing) and others.
“To our dismay, all these public funds were siphoned into the private
account of the Council Chairman, Mr. Ezekiel Obeisun and there should
be forensic audit of the account of the local government for period of
January 2018 to November 2020.”
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