The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has lifted restrictions on bank accounts run by two state governments.
Authorities in Benue and Akwa Ibom states recently raised the alarm that their accounts had been frozen, trapping workers’ salaries, pensions and crippling government activities.
But while Benue officials have confirmed unblocking of all the accounts affected, Akwa Ibom State was only able to confirm a partial relaxing of limited access imposed on its accounts in commercial banks.
“Some of them have been unfrozen, not all of them,” said Commissioner for Information of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Charles Udoh.
The confirmation comes hours after Governor Samuel Ortom confirmed in a statement that Benue State’s accounts are now fully active.
Ortom expressed his gratitude to Nigerians for helping ramp up pressure on the EFCC, reiterating his position that the EFCC was out to victimise him for leaving the ruling All Progressives Congress to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.
The state raised the alarm on Tuesday that its bank accounts were frozen without any explanation. The accounts were believed to be held in GTBank, Fidelity Bank and First Bank.
A spokesperson for Ortom, Mr. Terver Akase, said the banks did not cite any reason for freezing the accounts, saying they only told the state’s Attorney General that documents relating to the measure were “confidential.”
Akase also said the accounts were holding salaries of thousands of workers, as well as pensions.
Akase quoted Governor Ortom as describing the action of the EFCC as impunity.