Sam Ode clears air on ‘missing’ N20bn Benue LG funds

The Deputy Governor of Benue State, Barrister Sam Ode, has refuted allegations of misappropriating N20 billion from Local Government funds in the state, dismissing them as baseless accusations.

A transparency group, the Global Integrity Crusade Network (GICN), recently lodged a petition with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), urging for the apprehension and prosecution of Dennis Akura, the Special Adviser on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, along with some of his staff.

They alleged that these officials had diverted N20 billion out of the N55 billion allocated to the local governments between June 2023 and October 2023.

Responding to these claims during a session with members of the correspondents’ chapel under the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Benue State Council at his office in Makurdi, the deputy governor vehemently contested the accusations, labeling them as unfounded.

Ode clarified that the financial management of the local government funds is overseen by the governor’s office through the House of Assembly.

He noted that the Joint Account serves as a transit account intended for the exclusive benefit of the local governments, asserting that any suggestion of tampering with these funds is without merit.