Benue government account which is domiciled in three banks namely, United Bank for Africa (UBA), First bank and Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) has been frozen by Economic Financial and Crime Commission (EFCC) as confirmed by the Chief Press Secretary to the state Governor, Terver Akase on Wednesday.
Channels TV reports that the EFCC’s anti-graft agency made the move after investigations on alleged abuse of Benue State’s security funds to the tune of N21.3 billion. The allegation has been denied by the state Governor Ortom.
According to The Cable, EFCC said that between June 30, 2015 and March 2018, the withdrawal of N21.3 billion was ordered by the governor from four government’s accounts in GT Bank, First Bank and UBA.
“We investigated four bank accounts belonging to two Benue State Government’s agencies” EFCC said in a report. “The first agency being the Benue State Government House which has an account in UBA with number 1017348051 and another account in GTB with number 0027952907. These accounts received N1, 916,635,206 from the state’s allocation between June 30, 2015 and March 2018.
“The second government agency which is the Bureau of Internal Affairs and Special Services. The agency has an account with UBA with number 1007540119 and a First Bank account with number 2023788057. Between the same periods, the accounts were credited with N19, 468, 951, 590 from the Benue State allocation.”
The EFCC also disclosed that out of N19 billion meant for payment of six security agencies that had been deployed in Benue to address the relentless clashes between the herdsmen and farmers, less than N3 billion of the amount was paid to the security agencies while the rest were unaccounted for.
A top official however noted concerns that if the account remains frozen, the state government might find it difficult to meet its financial obligations, especially the payment of salaries to Benue state workers.
He urged Yemi Osinbajo, Acting President to stop this spate of impunity from going on in the country as the country is gradually descending to anarchy.
The state government however, described it as a plot to frustrate the action taken by Ortom, Benue state governor after he left All Progressives Congress (APC) for People Democratic Party (PDP).
The governor had defected to the PDP on the 25th of July, after he was prohibited by some youth from attending a reconciliatory meeting convened by the APC national leadership.
Just about a week later, eight members of the APC in the Benue State House of Assembly served an impeachment notice on Governor Ortom.
EFCC’s anti-graft police also publicized that 21 members of Benue state house of Assembly are under investigation for supposedly embezzling N375m that was meant to procure vehicles for oversight functions.
