Corruption: At the House of Representatives in Abuja today, officials of the Benue State Government appeared before the House Committee on Public Petitions to shed light on allegations of monumental fraud in the administration of funds meant for local government councils in the state.
Prominent among those fingered in the alleged fraud is the Special Adviser to Governor Hyacinth Alia at the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dennis Akura, some officials of the Bureau, Directors General Services and Administration (DGSAs), Treasurers of the 23 local government councils in the state, as well as some private contractors.
They were invited to the House following a series of Petitions against them by civil society groups alleging variously the diversion of public funds into their private bank accounts, coercive deductions of funds from local government council accounts and illegal deposition of over N20 billion into unauthorized accounts.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in a statement by its State Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Iortyom, said the it is saddened that this development spotlights Benue negatively in a show of shame which is coming at the wrong time, with the state beleaguered by spiraling insecurity, deepening poverty and hunger.
part of the statement reads: the party fears that the development is also capable of diverting attention from the need for Governor Alia to deal more decisively with the worsening influx of Fulani herdsmen and their cattle into the state, even as a 14-day ultimatum issued by the governor to the herders to leave the state expires tomorrow.
“Today is, indeed, a day of shame for Benue State in Abuja, as rather than enumerating how he has delivered on his promise during the campaigns to grant autonomy to the local governments, Governor Alia is in the dock to answer to allegations of massive fraud at that tier of administration.
“PDP calls on the governor to reverse his calamitous policies which have wrecked havoc on the local government system since coming to office, with such anti people steps as dissolution of lawful council administrations in blatant violation of subsisting court judgements.”
