Edo Assembly Threatens Arrest Warrant Against Obaseki, Others Over Controversial Museum, Hotel Projects

The Edo State House of Assembly Ad-hoc Committee investigating the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) and Radisson Hotel projects, has warned that it may issue arrest warrants against former Governor Godwin Obaseki and several former officials of the State for failing to appear before it.

The committee was set up following a request by Governor Monday Okpebholo to probe the funding structure and ownership of the two major projects.

Those invited include former Commissioner for Finance, Joseph Eboigbe; former Attorney-General, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi; Managing Director of Tilbury House Nigeria Limited, Pramod Thorat; Project Manager of Hospitality Investment and Management Company, Ugochukwu Anigbogu; and the Managing Directors of Afrinvest Capital Limited, Meristem Trustees Limited and Emerging Africa Trustees Ltd.

The panel is examining allegations that the state invested ₦3.8 billion in MOWAA and ₦28 billion in the Radisson Hotel project.

Committee Chairman, Hon. Addeh Isibor, speaking during its resumed sitting, disclosed that Obaseki and other invitees sent letters through their lawyers declining to appear, citing ongoing court cases.

Isibor insisted that the committee was on a fact-finding mission and was not out to target anyone, describing the letters as an attempt to obstruct the investigation.

He said, “These gentlemen have unilaterally chosen to absent themselves, claiming that there are pending court cases on our sitting. We know the position of the law. The filing of a suit does not amount to a stay of proceedings, and no judge can stop our sitting.”

He added that the committee had not been served with any court order stopping its work and emphasised that refusal to appear would not prevent the panel from reaching conclusions based on available facts.

Isibor further stated that the Assembly has the constitutional authority to compel attendance and could direct the police to bring any invited person before the committee.

He said the panel remains determined to get to the root of the matter and complete its assignment without interference.