By Henry Ibya, Makurdi
The Benue State government has declared that no amount of blackmail will hinder it from probing the immediate past administration of former governor Samuel Ortom.
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Tersoo Kula, who revealed this to journalists during a chat at the weekend in Makurdi, said Governor Hyacinth Alia on assumption of office extended an olive branch to some ex-government officials of the immediate past administration who were alleged to have issues bothering on financial mismanagement to come for amicable dialogue.
He pointed out that Governor Alia had opted for dialogue with the intention that such people confide secretly in government the amount they have syphoned, what they have spent and what is remaining, stressing that government wanted to recover at least a fraction of the loot, but alleged that such people refused to cooperate.
“Now that the two commissions of inquiry into income and expenditure and that of sales/lease of government assets companies and markets at both state and local government of Benue State have been inaugurated to probe government activities between 2015-2023, government has noticed mounted tension in the state and is still expecting more of such actions”.
He told Benue people to be wary of corruption fighting back in different dimensions, explaining that they started by accusing those in the Alia administration, holding key and sensitive positions like the special adviser on Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dennis Akura of embezzling over N20 billion in the present administration even before becoming special adviser to the governor.
He stressed that the group has shifted with its tactics to accuse of corruption the chairman of State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, who has uncovered monumental fraud committed at the board.
