Anger and suspicion have continued to grip residents of Anambra State following fresh revelations that the sum of N100 million belonging to the state government was allegedly transferred into the personal bank account of one Victor Egbetokun, said to be the son of the immediate past Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
According to a report by Sahara Reporters, the controversial transfer was executed in four tranches of N25 million each, raising serious questions about the integrity of financial controls in the administration of Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo.
As reported by Daily Post, fuelling the controversy further, the Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, during a live television appearance, appeared to lend credence to the allegation.
Hundeyin disclosed that the former IGP’s son had confirmed the receipt of the funds and was subsequently advised to instruct his account officer to initiate a reversal, an instruction that was promptly carried out.
Despite the reversal, the revelation has rattled many Anambra indigenes who remain deeply unsettled by questions of how such a significant sum could exit the state treasury and find its way into the account of an individual with no known dealings in the state — least of all, the son of the nation’s former chief internal security officer.
Commentators have noted the curious nature of the affair, observing that out of millions of possible account holders across Nigeria, the erroneous destination happened to be the son of the serving Inspector General of Police at the time.
A public affairs analyst, Kingsley Ubani, did not mince words in his assessment.
“The question is: how did the money get there? Out of 36 states of the federation, it had to be Anambra State — a state managed by an acclaimed Professor of Economics — that N100 million will ‘miss road.’ And the state government failed to quietly retrieve it until it became a matter for public discourse?” he queried.
Ubani pressed further: “The question now on the lips of Ndi Anambra is — who approved the transfer of N100 million to the IGP’s son’s account, and why? If such a sum can be transferred in error without the sender realising it, how much money has been moved in error in the past without public knowledge? This is an indictment on Professor Chukwuma Soludo, and Ndi Anambra deserve answers.”
Another indigene, Mr Peter Ndukaike, expressed concern over the governor’s silence on the matter.
“What is most worrisome is that the Anambra State Government has refused to issue any official comment since the story broke. It appears they are either hoping to suppress it or banking on silence to let it die a natural death. If such an amount can move out in ‘error,’ who knows how much of Anambra’s funds have been so moved without any trace?” he asked.
Ndukaike, however, noted a certain sense of betrayal: “Our governor is a man of immense integrity. This is not what we expect.”
Award-winning investigative journalist Fisayo Soyombo also weighed in with a sharp rebuke on Facebook.
“There are 237.5million Nigerians. The Anambra State Government was going to make an erroneous N100 million transfer, but it did not land in the account of you reading this, or me, or any of the possible 237.5 million others,” he wrote.
“Instead, the Anambra State Government transferred funds from the security vote to the son of Nigeria’s number one internal security official. I like that you people think Nigerians are fools — and I hope you know Nigerians consider you fools too. The feeling is mutual!”
In response, the Press Secretary to Governor Soludo, Mr Christian Aburime, dismissed the uproar, insisting the state government bore no responsibility for the transfer.
“I don’t know why people are making a big deal out of something that had long been settled. Anambra State Government has no hand in the transfer. It was an honest error and has already been reversed. This happened months back and has been settled,” he said.
Aburime continued: “Even though it was an error, it was not by Anambra State Government. You know that our governor, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, is a renowned finance manager — he is not one to throw away money. The matter has nothing to do with Anambra State Government. You and I have received money erroneously before, and this one happened months back and has been reversed. That ends it.”
