Two retired permanent secretaries alongside six accountants and a cashier have arrested over alleged N107bn fraud in Benue state.
The alleged fraud which was carried out under the past administration led by ex-Governor Gabriel Suswam, the suspected have been moved to Abuja for grilling.
According to Vanguard, the ex governor himself is currently being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for laundering up to N3.1bn of the state resources.
The Benue state attorney-general and commissioner for Justice, Mr Michael Gusa while confirming the arrest said:
“The two retired permanent secretaries, accountants and cashier were picked for questioning by police.
“They are to explain their roles in the misapplication of the state funds in their respective offices. This government is not witch hunting anybody; we are following due process and also applying the principles of Rule of Law.
“So their arrest is in furtherance of the moves and determination of the Governor Samuel Ortom-led administration to recover over N107 billion looted from the state treasury during the last administration in the state and we will sustain this till all the funds are recovered.
“So far, some damning documents and items have been recovered from the affected persons, some of whom have also willingly made useful statements to the police to aid the ongoing investigations.”
Also talking about the arrest of the nine suspects, Benue State Police Commissioner, Mr Bashir Makama said:
“The suspects have been moved to Abuja for questioning.”
