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

The governor gave the directive in a statement issued on Friday by his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, ordering that the accounts would remain frozen until further notice.

He instructed commercial banks, ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to comply with the order immediately or face severe consequences.

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The governor further said, “Commercial banks must comply with this order and ensure that not a single naira is withdrawn from government coffers until further notice.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

The governor was sworn in on Monday.