September 5, 2017
PRESS RELEASE
The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, CACOL has called on the Federal government and the relevant anti-graft agencies to ensure that the full wrath is applied to culprits in the alleged diversion of the sum of about N3.2bn belonging to the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria in Benue State, between 2012 and 2014.
Expressing the position of CACOL on the reported diversion, Mr. Debo Adeniran, the Executive Chairman of the Centre said “It is very disheartening to hear that such humongous corrupt acts actually transpired in a state like, Benue that is currently facing serious humanitarian challenges following the tragedy of the floods that rendered about 100, 000 people homeless added with the loss of lives and property.”
“The Benue case is yet another manifestation of how inhuman, the incurably corrupt persons occupying our public spaces can get. From the reports in the media and following the step taken by the FG and the Attorney General of the Federation’s office, this is case must not go the way of others which were apparently not diligently handled and has led to so many corruption criminals wriggling through the lapses in our laws to escape justice.”
A certain Solomon Wombo, who was an aide to a former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, and two other former top civil servants in the state were charged by the FG with the diversion of about N16.6bn belonging to the 23 local government areas of the state.
Adeniran in concluding said “it a good thing the FG and AGF’s office are already active on the case but we think the investigations should be broadened to also expose and punish all the collaborators in the perpetration of corruption to such big magnitude. The former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam whose name rings in the background the fraud may also have some questions to answer.”
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