The Chairman of the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA), Hon. Uche Anya, has dismissed reports alleging that he was detained and interrogated over a purported N417 million fraud linked to the agency.
In a statement on Thursday, Anya described the reports as “false, malicious, and unfounded,” clarifying that the ECTDA is a task-based agency with no mandate to award contracts.
He explained that the allegations stemmed from a “frivolous petition” allegedly authored by one Alex Ogbodo, a town planner, whom he described as “disgruntled” over his refusal to appoint him as Head of Development Control.
According to Anya, his visit to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) was a routine courtesy call to the new Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner in Enugu. He said he was accompanied by a friend, Hon. Augustine Nnamani, and they spent about two hours discussing development control issues, including the status of the ICPC’s property located at Plot JQ/4 Bisala Road, Independence Layout.
“I paid a courtesy visit to the new ICPC Commissioner. During the visit, we discussed our agency’s letter regarding the approval status of over 500 properties in Enugu, including theirs,” Anya said.
He emphasized that the letter to the ICPC was part of a general compliance effort and not targeted at any individual or institution.
On the petition, Anya maintained that it lacked merit and was an act of vendetta by Ogbodo, who was upset over the appointment of Arc. Emike Ikechukwu as Head of Project and Physical Development Control Unit.
“Arc. Ikechukwu, who holds a Master’s degree, was seconded from the Ministry of Works over 10 years ago. Ogbodo, on the other hand, has a history of disciplinary issues. He was once returned to the Ministry of Lands by my predecessor, Josef Onoh, and was reportedly rejected by the then Commissioner, Barr. Chidi Aroh,” Anya stated.
He added that Ogbodo had a pattern of filing baseless petitions and vowed that such antics would not distract the agency’s mission.
“There was no fraud, no detention—only fabrications by individuals with personal grudges. We remain committed to transparency and accountability in line with the vision of Governor Peter Mbah,” he concluded.
