EFCC begins investigation into alleged diversion of N107 billion in Benue

Contrary to specu-lations that Benue State government has dumped the Justice Elizabeth Kpojime Judicial Commission of Enquiry report, which indicted Gabriel Suswam and 51 others, Governor Samuel Ortom says the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has commenced investigation.

Ortom, who disclosed this during an interactive session with journalists, said EFCC staff in Enugu have already paid assessment visit to Benue State. He said the report of the commission was submitted to that office and assured that the staff would certainly follow up. The governor said his administration would follow rule of law in pursuing the matter and advised those that allegedly looted the treasury to return the loot.


Ortom said he has given go-ahead to his commissioners to rebuke him if he adds a kobo to any contract and emphasised that his administration has zero tolerance for corruption.

According to him, upkeep allowances for himself and the deputy governor have been reduced by N500, 000 because of decline in federal allocation. He used the occasion, which was organised to mark his one year in office, to say that the amnesty programme introduced last year was a huge success.

He said life in Benue would have been miserable if the programme was not introduced and added that it was being replicated in some states.

Ortom said the programme has been highly extolled in Africa and announced that he has been invited to speak on amnesty at a United Nations gathering in New York in June this year.

“We have reduced criminality to a certain level; states like Kaduna, Kano and Nasarawa are talking of replicating the programme, why would anyone say it has failed”, he queried.

He said if those criticising the programme had seen the over 600 weapons surrendered, they would have commended his administration instead of condemning it.

On the 800 staff of Obi Local Government, who demonstrated over non-payment of salaries, the governor said he directed that they should be disengaged because they were illegally employed by the director in charge of general services and administration.

In the area of sports, Ortom said he has told the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mr Lawrence Onoja Jnr, to submit a memo on its diversification.

He said the state government would liaise with local governments and look for talents in football, handball and so on, and disclosed that a professor has told him that openings exist for the provision of scholarship for the training of talented youths in America.

On the murder of his Senior Special Assistant on Security, Mr Denen Igbana, Ortom said he has handed the matter over to security agencies. He said the law should take its course and noted that Mr Igbana contributed to the release of over 13 kidnapped persons and contributed immensely to the success of the amnesty programme.