Less than 24 hours after his arrest, detectives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday cross-examined a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim.

Highlights: He was asked to account for…

• The diversion of over N13 billion out of N58, 146,983,677.85 in the Ecological Fund account.
• How the ecological cash ended up in the accounts of about 15 companies linked with him.
• Why he collected N520 million from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) on the eve of the 2015 general elections.
• Mr Anyim was said to have used two of the 15 companies to make several transfers to 37 entities.

It was learnt that the EFCC opted to arrest the ex-SGF after he failed to respond to a letter of invitation from the agency.

His sudden attendance of a dinner in honour of President Muhammadu Buhari in Abakaliki on Tuesday was said to be one of the rapprochements he was banking on to stave off the EFCC’s arrest.

According to a source for The Nation, Mr Anyim has cases to answer in connection with alleged “false assets declaration, receiving N520 million from the Office of the National Security Adviser on the eve of the 2015 general elections for unclear reasons and using proxies and companies in which he had interest to corner contracts from the Ecological Fund.

“So far, he is looking sober in our facility, but we have asked him to give an account of the N13 billion curious payments/ withdrawals/ transfers from the Ecological Fund account. We have conducted searches on the 15 firms, identified their accounts.

“More amazing was the transfer of the N520 million to Anyim by ONSA on the eve of the 2015 general elections. He needs to account for this cash too.

“We have other strands of the investigation, including the Centenary Project, alleged cornering of NDDC projects by cronies and alleged building of a 297-bed hotel within two years of becoming SGF. But we have not gone into these other allegations.

“Anyim knew all along that the EFCC had been on his trail. At a point, he wanted a political solution to his travails, but this has not worked for him. What is at stake has to do with public funds.”