A pro-democracy, anti-corruption and justice sector civil society organisation, Global Integrity Crusade Network (GICN), has written a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arrest, interrogate, and prosecute the Special Adviser to Benue Governor Hyacinth Alia on Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dennis Akura, and others for alleged diversion of local government funds.
The petition, dated February 20, 2024, was received and acknowledged at the headquarters of the anti-graft agency in Abuja on Tuesday. In the petition also sent to President Bola Tinubu, the Director-General, Department of State Services (DSS), and the media, GICN accused Akura and others of supervising alleged brazen embezzlement and diversion of over N20 billion of funds meant for the 23 local government councils in Benue State between June and November 2023.
According to GICN, the LG Bureau under Governor Alia has been using some of its staff and privately owned companies to syphon the funds meant for local governments in the state. The group received complaints and documents from whistleblowers showing corrupt practices in the office of the Special Adviser, prompting the petition to EFCC.
The petition revealed that out of the N55,897,592,592.81 allocated to the State Joint Local Government Account, only N35,849,988,725.37 was disbursed to the local government councils, leaving a balance of N20,051,603,867.44 undisbursed. GICN alleged that Akura diverted the disbursed funds under the directives of Governor Alia.
GICN attached documentary evidence of funds being transferred from local government council accounts to the accounts of individual staff members of the Bureau and registered companies. The group urged EFCC to ensure that if found guilty, the Benue State officials are made to refund the looted funds.
The petition stressed the importance of fiscal accountability and transparency and urged EFCC to bring Akura and the others mentioned in the petition to justice. GICN believes that the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has zero tolerance for corruption and hopes for swift action from the anti-corruption commission in restoring accountability in Benue State.
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