Mr Christopher Enweremadu, commissioner for local government and chieftaincy matters under former Abia governor Okezie Ikpeazu has been declared wanted over allegations of criminal conspiracy, diversion of public funds, stealing, and money laundering.
Also wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is Fortune Ozoemela, a 40-year-old native of Abia.
In a public notice signed by the EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, and issued on the commission’s website, Enweremadu’s last known address was listed as the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Umuahia, Abia State.
Oyewale also stated that Ozoemela’s last known address is 122 Ozoemela’s compound, Amakama, Olokoro, Umuahia, Abia State.
He urged anyone with useful information about their locations to report to any of its zonal offices in Ibadan, Uyo, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Benin, Makurdi, Kaduna, Ilorin, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt, or Abuja.
The EFCC’s fresh wanted notice did not give details of the transactions tied directly to Enweremadu.
Enweremadu is linked to an investigation into the management of funds allocated to Abia’s 17 local government councils.
In December 2024, a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja ordered a probe into allocations to the LGAs between 2019 and 2023 and directed the EFCC to submit its findings.
The court also ordered the seizure of international passports belonging to Enweremadu, Erondu Uchenna Erondu (a former aide to Governor Ikpeazu), and Deaconess Joy Nwanju, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters.
The court’s decision followed an ex parte application filed by an activist who alleged that billions of naira meant for Abia’s local governments were diverted under the supervision of the officials. (NAN)
