EFCC Arrests Delta Accountant General Over Alleged N1.3 Trillion Diversion

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested the Accountant General of Delta State, Mrs. Joy Enwa, in connection with the ongoing investigation into the alleged diversion of N1.3 trillion state funds by the state’s former governor, Ifeanyi Okowa.

The funds, reportedly part of the 13 percent derivation allocation for oil-rich states, were allegedly misappropriated during Okowa’s tenure as governor.

The EFCC had earlier detained Okowa in November 2024, accusing him of siphoning the funds and acquiring assets, including shares in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Company, among other oil sector investments.

EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale confirmed the arrest and detention of Enwa and other Delta State officials.

Among them were Ekeruche, a former Director of Finance and Administration, and the Director of Administration at the Government House. They were interrogated and provided separate statements during their detention.

“Yes, the accountant general was arrested and detained by the commission for some days before being released. We also detained other officials who have since been released,” Oyewale said.

Mrs. Enwa’s arrest is not her first brush with controversy. In 2015, she and others, including the then Accountant General Cyril Agbele and a branch manager of First City Monument Bank, were implicated in a N369 million fraud case during the administration of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan.

Despite denials, the case remains part of Delta State’s checkered history of financial irregularities.

In April 2020, Okowa appointed Enwa as the Accountant General, succeeding Agbele. Her recent arrest comes amid heightened scrutiny of Delta State’s financial management practices.

When contacted, Mrs. Enwa refused to comment on her arrest, saying, “I am not the right source to confirm such a story. Why don’t you reach out to the commission for details?”