Efcc probe otorm

Barely a year in office, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has come under the searchlight of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
EFCC, following allegation he caused the transfer of the state’s cash amounting to N4.29 billion from banks to unknown recipients.
This came as the immediate past Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs
Service, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko Inde, was
also arrested by the EFCC for questioning
over alleged fraud and abuse of office.
On the strength of the three petitions fired
by insiders in Benue State government, the
EFCC has already swung into action by
questioning some persons close to the
government in relation to the cash transfers.
Ortom
A top official of the commission confirmed
to Vanguard, last night, that the agency
received two petitions against the governor
and some top officials of the administration
and had already commenced investigation
into the matter, even though the governor is
covered by immunity while in office.
He said: “I can confirm to you that the
commission has received petitions against
Governor Ortom and other dramatis
personae over alleged diversion and other
financial infractions. We have also
commenced investigation into the veracity
of the petitions. And I can also tell you that
the commission will soon take necessary
action on the matter.”
Some of those named in the petitions as
arrowheads of the scam are members of
the state House of Assembly and the
National Assembly.
The official said only those not covered by
immunity were being interrogated in
connection with the cash movement, adding
that the outcome of the commission's probe
would soon be made public.
Governor Ortom, who spoke through his
Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Terver Akase,
said the report was not only false but also a
demonstration of mischief and ignorance by
the authors of the petitions.
Quizzes Inde, ex-Customs CG, over N40bn
cash diversion
Inde, who had been on the radar of the anti-
graft agency for the past one year, was
arrested and taken into the commission’s
facility in Abuja for interrogation.
A top official in the commission confirmed
to Vanguard that Inde, who arrived the head
office of the commission around 10 am, was
still being quizzed at press time.
According to competent source in the
commission, the interrogators picked up
Inde in connection with N40 billion, which he
allegedly pocketed while in office.
According to the source, Inde allegedly
diverted the huge sum of money from the
purse of the NSC. The source added that
the amount accrued from the seven per
cent cost of collection of Customs revenue
and another one per cent Comprehensive
Import Supervision Scheme, which generated
billions of Naira in revenue, but was largely
diverted.
Beyond the N40 billion said to have been
diverted by Inde, EFCC is also questioning
him on how he came about the over N2
billion, which he used in building what the
commission described as a ‘palatial
mansion’ located at 1, Audu Ogbe Street,
Jabi, Abuja.
The commission believes that Inde lived
above his means as a public servant and
might have abused his office for personal
gains while serving as Customs boss.
For that reason, the commission is likely
going to charge Inde to court for criminal
conspiracy, theft, abuse of public office and
diversion of public funds, among others.