Judicial commissions of inquiry inaugurated on February 26, 2024 to look into the activities of immediate former governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has stated its readiness to conduct the investigations.
It was gathered that the state governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, had inaugurated the two judicial commissions of inquiry to look into the activities of his predecessor, Ortom.
The Judicial commissions of inquiry, five weeks after the inauguration, reveal that they are now set to quiz the former governor and his aides.
The inaugurated probe panels are the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Income and Expenditure of Benue State Government from May 29, 2015, to May 28, 2023, while the other one is the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Sale/Lease of Government Assets, Companies and Markets (both state and local government owned markets), as well as moribund companies from or before May 28, 2015 to May 28, 2023.
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The two commissions of Inquiry comprise 16 members with their chairmen drawn from the South-West and North-East.
They are retired Justice Taiwo Taiwo from South-West who will chair the former and Justice Appolos Idi (retd) from Gombe, North-East will preside over the latter commission.
The two judicial commissions of inquiry are, among others, to identify the income of the Benue State Government from May 28, 2023, 2015, to May 29, 2023.
They will also look into the expenditure and utilisation of the Benue State income from 29 of May, 2015, to day 28 of May, 2023.
Also, they are to identify all the Benue State bank accounts and examine the propriety or otherwise of the transactions in the accounts from day 29 of May, 2015 to the day 28 of May, 2023.
Furthermore, they will identify the various loans taken by the Benue State Government from May 29, 2015 to May 28, 2023 and ascertain the appropriateness of the utilisation, interest charge on the loans and the possible abuses thereof.
The probe panels will equally identify the loan(s) given out by the Benue State Government, the alleged waiver, and the possible abuses thereof.
Finally, the panels will identify the special interventions, including but not limited to the Bailout Funds, Paris Club Refunds received by the Benue State Government from May 29, 2015 to May 28, 2023 and the application thereof.
In his reaction, the immediate past governor, Samuel Ortom, through his media aide, Terver Akase stated that he was ready to face the panels and also urged all his aides to prepare to appear before the two panels.