Gov Okpebholo orders immediate freeze of Edo State bank accounts

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has mandated the immediate freezing of all bank accounts owned by the state.

The directive, issued on Thursday through a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, emphasizes that the freeze will remain in effect until further notice.

Governor Okpebholo has instructed all commercial banks, as well as the state’s ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), to enforce this order without delay. The statement warned that non-compliance would attract severe repercussions.

The statement reads: “All state bank accounts with commercial banks have been frozen. Commercial banks must comply with this order and ensure that not a single naira is withdrawn from government coffers until further notice.

“Heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies must ensure full compliance without delay.

“Following necessary investigations and reconciliations, the governor will take appropriate action and decide on the way forward. For now, this order remains in effect.”

Okpebholo also directed relevant agencies to revert the name of the Ministry of Roads and Bridges to its previous title, the Ministry of Works, a change made during the Godwin Obaseki administration.

“It is odd to name a government institution the Ministry of Roads and Bridges, especially when not a single bridge was built by the previous administration — not even a pedestrian bridge.

“In the coming days, we will examine further actions taken by the previous administration and make decisions that serve the best interests of the state,” the statement added.