The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday told a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja how the immediate past Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam alongside his Commissioner for Finance, Omadachi Okolobia, stole over N3.1bn from the state treasury.

At the resumed trial, the prosecutor, Detective Junaidu Sa’id, said his team took up the case following a petition dated July 14, 2015 against the Suswam and Oklobia.

Sa’id told the court that in the course of their investigations, it was discovered that the Suswam gave a directive for shares owned by the State Government be sold so as to raise the sum of N10bn.

The prosecutor said, following the directive, Elixir Investment Partners was appointed as stockbrokers to oversee sale of the shares, from which over N9 billion was realised.

He also stated that Elixir Investment Partners, was instructed to pay the N9bn raised from the sales of the shares into three different bank accounts, adding that another instruction was given for the payment of N1bn to be made into Benue Investment Properties Company’s account, while the balance of N8bn be paid into two separate accounts with the name of Benue State Ministry of Finance.

The prosecutor further stated that while Elixir was trying to pay the sum into the two separate accounts of the Benue State Ministry of Finance as directed, it was discovered that one of the accounts does not belong to the Ministry but to one Fanffash Resources.

Following the discovery, Elixir sought clarification from Okolobia, who mandated the company to pay N5bn into the account of Benue State Ministry of Finance while N3.1bn be paid into Fanffash Resources account.

Sa’id said the owner of Fanfash Resources, Abubakar Umar, was invited by the EFCC who confirmed that he received N3.1bn and converted same to its dollar equivalent, amounting to $15.8m, adding that he later delivered it in cash to former Governor Suswam at his Maitama Residence in Abuja.

The court however adjourned the case till January 18, and 19 2016 for cross examination of the witness and continuation of hearing.

http://dailypost.ng/2015/12/09/how-ex-governor-suswam-diverted-n3bn-from-benue-state-treasury-efcc/

The national cake is enough for everybody to eat, but some people come with big knives and matchetes and cut more than their share, leaving nothing for people with smaller knives(less priviledged people)
_ Wong fei hung 2015

Which ex-goveror didn't steal

If Suswam had never been indicted on corruption charges Buhari's war on corruption would have been nothing but a SHAM!
He SINGLE HANDEDLY (.......well @ least with a little help from Okolobia) ran Benue state into bankruptcy. Awaiting his speedy conviction and the return of looted funds......to be re-embezzled by Akume and Ortom (.....no be me talk am O )

Our greatest enemy towards development and industrialization is corruption.If found guilty he should be jailed and made 2 cough out every single penny he looted 4rm our common patrimony

9jaRonin:
If Suswam had never been indicted on corruption charges Buhari's war on corruption would have been nothing but a SHAM!
He SINGLE HANDEDLY (.......well @ least with a little help from Okolobia) ran Benue state into bankruptcy. Awaiting his speedy conviction and the return of looted funds......to be re-embezzled by Akume and Ortom (.....no be me talk am O )

Suswam's case is so obvious that no matter how he tries to cover it, he will certainly be exposed. The guy is just a common street this and how he is yet to be jailed is still amazing. No where to run now.

viickerz:
The national cake is enough for everybody to eat, but some people come with big knives and matchetes and cut more than their share, leaving nothing for people with smaller knives(less priviledged people)
_ Wong fei hung 2015

Where is Nafdac DG?
Benue Politicians sef

Always said it, Suswam is far worse than Theodore Orji when it comes to bad governance.

What that man did with the state's shares in BCC and other state properties through BIPC leaves one really wondering how on earth a man could be so cruel to his people.

He and his brothers turned Makurdi into their private estate and the stool of traditional rulers into a family affair, ran the state radio station aground as they were relegated to announcing only obituaries and market days, while all that was due them were diverted into establishing Ashi Radio (his brother's radio station)!!

Can hardly wait to see him behind bars.

Lalasticlala, Mynd44, this is somewhat personal to me. I'd like more of my brothers and sisters to see what a criminal we had as our governor.

Such a shame the current APC leadership appears to be setting themselves up for a greater failure with their wasteful expenditure so far.

God Bless Benue State.

omenka:
Lalasticlala, Mynd44, this is somewhat personal to me. I'd like more of my brothers and sisters to see what a criminal we had as our governor.

Such a shame the current APC leadership appears to be setting themselves up for a greater failure with their wasteful expenditure so far.

God Bless Benue State.

How about the government a certain Omenka participated in as commissioner?

omenka:
Always said it, Suswam is far worse than Theodore Orji when it comes to bad governance.

What that man did with the state's shares in BCC and other state properties through BIPC leaves one really wondering how on earth a man could be so cruel to his people.

He and his brothers turned Makurdi into their private estate and the stool of traditional rulers into a family affair, ran the state radio station aground as they were relegated to announcing only obituaries and market days, while all that was due them were diverted into establishing Ashi Radio (his brother's radio station)!!

Can hardly wait to see him behind bars.

Benue state is like Kogi. Y'all need leaders.
I dont know much but I hears Susan owined teachers 11 months salaries at a point and the teachers went on strike for a whole academic year. If he is found to have stolen money, we dont mind taking him off your hands and giving him accommodation in Kirikiri.
Ortom is messing up? Why didnt you mention you need someone to be governor? Sashore is in lagos wasting away

Mynd44:

Benue state is like Kogi. Y'all need leaders.
I dont know much but I hears Susan owined teachers 11 months salaries at a point and the teachers went on strike for a whole academic year. If he is found to have stolen money, we dont mind taking him off your hands and giving him accommodation in Kirikiri.
Ortom is messing up? Why didnt you mention you need someone to be governor? Sashore is in lagos wasting away

Yes it's true, he owed primary school teachers 9months salaries and they went on strike for 11 months from mid 2013 to mid 2014. Then when he started paying, the monies came in piecemeals as he slashed all state government workers salaries arbitrarily, some had as much as 40% cut, especially the top civil servants. It was a terrible situation.

The most alarming part of the whole scam was that there was no indication on the workers pay slips they didn't receive their full salaries- they were slashed at the point of disbursement in the banks!!!!!

Then he owed some workers 5months salaries, the least of which were 3months, before handing over to Ortom.

The only thing that man did was renovate some primary schools within makurdi metropolis, and to see what a mediocre he is, they engraved in the walls of the schools, using rocks, signatures that read "Thank You Suswam !!! You just can't believe the rot honestly!

Then to rub it in our faces, he built for himself, the biggest hotel in the state, Metropolitan Hotel Makurdi- and guess what, he then leased same to the state government, under his own watch, for 100years!!!!!!!

Some startling revelations are still being made in the investigative panel set up by the current state government to look into our account books under the immediate past governor. What remains to be seen is where all these would lead us.

Mynd, Benue needs urgent salvation honestly.

Jonathan sef!

We need to adopt measures taken by China in combating corruption. Some useless leaders deserve firing squad.

but is it dat APC ex-governors did nt steal or wat yes suswam na goat dat ate all the yams efcc dnt 4get 2 ask him abt dy foreign pigs he brought 4rm brazil

EazyMoh:
Jonathan sef!

Jonasteal....