JUST IN: Tension as Federal Court Blocks Allocation to Anambra LGAs, Orders EFCC Probe

The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has issued an order restraining the Accountant General of the Federation and the Minister of Finance from remitting allocations to 21 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Anambra State. The ruling, delivered by Justice Bello Kawo, will remain in effect pending the resolution of a suit questioning the allocation and usage of funds.

The court’s decision came in response to an ex parte application filed by legal practitioner Chukwuebuka Mmeni. The suit, which names the Accountant General of the Federation, the Minister of Finance, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Anambra State Government, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as defendants, seeks to address alleged financial mismanagement by the state government.

Justice Kawo’s ruling also mandates the EFCC to investigate the utilization of funds received by the 21 LGAs from March 2022 to April 2024. This investigation is expected to scrutinize how the allocated funds were deployed and whether there were any irregularities in their usage.

This court order compounds the challenges faced by Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo, who recently cancelled a teachers’ recruitment process over reported irregularities. The Governor’s administration is now under intense scrutiny, with financial practices and administrative decisions being critically examined.

More to follow … …