BREAKING: EFCC Finally Grants Ex-Governor Willie Obiano Bail

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says has finally granted bail to the immediate past former governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano.

Chairman of the commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, disclosed this on Monday in an interview session with journalists in Abuja on the sideline of 5th Annual General Assembly (AGA) of the Network of Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIMA).

Obiano, was nabbed on Thursday at about 8:30pm by the anti-graft agency at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos when he was reportedly on his way to the United States of America.

He was subsequently transferred to the headquarters of the commission, where he was quizzed for days over alleged mismanagement of N42bn and inflated contract.

The conditions attached to the bail, NewsTrack Nigeria reliably gathered are rather stringent and almost impossible for the former governor to meet.

He was arrested the same day he handed over to his successor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo on March 17, as the Anambra State governor.

According to the chairman of the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, Obiano has now been granted administrative bail.

Bawa disclosed this to journalists in Abuja today on the sideline of the 5th Annual General Assembly (AGA) of the Network of Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIMA).

Bawa said the former governor had been granted bail but added that he was still in custody because he had yet to perfect his bail conditions.

According to TheNiche, though Bawa did not elaborate on the conditions for the bail, it gathered that Obiano was to, among other things, produce two directors in the Federal Public Service with verified landed properties in Abuja as sureties.

A group, Nigeria Renewal Movement, said such stringent bail condition was evidence of EFCC’s bad faith.

“If any further evidence of bad faith in the ongoing persecution of the erstwhile governor is needed, the EFCC has already provided it. It gave very stringent conditions for Chief Obiano to be granted bail.

“Even if there are such directors, how many of them will be willing to come out to declare ownership of such properties in a case involving the EFCC directly? The conditions for Chief Obiano’s release are almost impossible to meet,” the group said in a statement made available to TheNiche.

But the EFCC boss dismissed claims that Obiano’s arrest was political, saying, “Nothing political about the arrest of the former Anambra State Governor, Wille Obiano. He has been granted bail. But we await (when) he fulfils his bail conditions.”

Obiano was arrested last Thursday at about 8:30 pm by the anti-graft agency at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos on his way out of the country.

He was later moved to Abuja where he is being quizzed over alleged mismanagement of N42 billion and contract inflation.