Breaking:N107bn fraud: Court
freezes ex-Benue
workers’ accounts
...
...
An Abuja Chief Magistrates’ Court has
ordered the immediate freezing of the
bank accounts of 12 former officials of
Benue State recently arrested by the
Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission in collaboration with the
police.
This was made known by the state’s
Attorney-General and Commissioner for
Justice, Mr. Mike Gusa, on Thursday.
Gusa, who spoke with our correspondent in
Makurdi, the state capital, said those
whose accounts were frozen included, a
former Commissioner for Finance,
Omadachi Oklobia; a former Adviser on
Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs,
Prince Solomon Wombo; a former
Permanent Secretary in the Bureau for
Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs,
Asen Sambe; the accountant of the
bureau, Isaiah Ipevnor, and 12 others
indicted by the Justice Margaret Kpojime-
led investigative panel that probed the
eight-year tenure of former Governor
Gabriel Suswam.
The panel had indicted 52 persons for
allegedly looting over N107bn belonging to
the state government.
Gusa said the court gave the order while
ruling on an ex parte motion brought before
it by the police detectives in charge of the
investigation into the matter.
He said, ‘’Since these people were arrested
and investigation is still going on, the
police decided to obtain an order from the
court to put every transaction around their
account on hold pending when the
investigation will be completed.”
The commissioner said the order had been
served on all the affected banks and
expressed the hope that the state
government would follow due process in
the recovery of the looted funds.
He said when recovered, the funds would
be used to fulfil the state government’s
obligations including the payment of
workers’ salary arrears and building critical
infrastructure.
The attorney-general disclosed that so far,
over N250m had been recovered from the
alleged looters, adding that the state
government in collaboration with the anti-
graft agencies was making efforts to
recover the looted funds.
Via the punch News paper...
freezes ex-Benue
workers’ accounts
...
...
An Abuja Chief Magistrates’ Court has
ordered the immediate freezing of the
bank accounts of 12 former officials of
Benue State recently arrested by the
Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission in collaboration with the
police.
This was made known by the state’s
Attorney-General and Commissioner for
Justice, Mr. Mike Gusa, on Thursday.
Gusa, who spoke with our correspondent in
Makurdi, the state capital, said those
whose accounts were frozen included, a
former Commissioner for Finance,
Omadachi Oklobia; a former Adviser on
Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs,
Prince Solomon Wombo; a former
Permanent Secretary in the Bureau for
Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs,
Asen Sambe; the accountant of the
bureau, Isaiah Ipevnor, and 12 others
indicted by the Justice Margaret Kpojime-
led investigative panel that probed the
eight-year tenure of former Governor
Gabriel Suswam.
The panel had indicted 52 persons for
allegedly looting over N107bn belonging to
the state government.
Gusa said the court gave the order while
ruling on an ex parte motion brought before
it by the police detectives in charge of the
investigation into the matter.
He said, ‘’Since these people were arrested
and investigation is still going on, the
police decided to obtain an order from the
court to put every transaction around their
account on hold pending when the
investigation will be completed.”
The commissioner said the order had been
served on all the affected banks and
expressed the hope that the state
government would follow due process in
the recovery of the looted funds.
He said when recovered, the funds would
be used to fulfil the state government’s
obligations including the payment of
workers’ salary arrears and building critical
infrastructure.
The attorney-general disclosed that so far,
over N250m had been recovered from the
alleged looters, adding that the state
government in collaboration with the anti-
graft agencies was making efforts to
recover the looted funds.
Via the punch News paper...
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