By Iro Dan Fulani

Barely a day after the Adamawa State House of Assembly served Governor Murtala Nyako and his deputy, Bala Ngilari, with notices of impeachment over allegations of “gross misconduct”, the federal government has reportedly frozen all bank accounts being operated by the state government.

Sources say that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been given the arduous task of ensuring that the directive from the Presidency to close the accounts is adhered to strictly.

In a telephone interview, the director of press and public affairs in the Adamawa Government House, Ahmad Sajoh, confirmed the development.

Sajoh said that the Presidency’s action has exposed the desperate efforts by President Goodluck Jonathan to witch hunt officials he perceived as enemies even if it means subjecting the electorates to hardship.

He said the closure of accounts would affect workers salaries and social services especially during Ramadan fasting.

“President Jonathan has made it clear that the impeachment plan against Gov Murtala Nyako must sail through and has also mandated security agents to be on the trail of the governor, who will immediately be arrested by the EFCC once he is impeached and he loses his immunity,” Nyako’s spokesman said.

Also reacting to the development, publicity secretary of the All Progressive Congress, APC, in Adamawa State, Phineas Padio, said the governor was being persecuted for constantly challenging the federal government for not doing enough to assist victims of the Boko Haram insurgency in the state.

“The president is not comfortable with the posture of Nyako who have fired salvo at the FG for not doing enough to protect the citizens. He also incurred the President’s wrath when he decamped to the All Progressive Congress (APC) alongside 5 other former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),” Padio stated.

The EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, could not be reached to comment on the development as he was said to be out of station. However, a reliable source told our reporter that, indeed, “the accounts of the government of Adamawa have been frozen by the EFCC.”

Our source could, however, not disclose if the freezing of the account was ordered by the government or if it arose from investigations being conducted by the commission.