By Comfort Olayinka
A pro-democracy, anti-corruption and justice sector civil society organisation, Global Integrity Crusade Network (GICN), has written a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to arrest, interrogate and prosecute the Special Adviser to Benue Governor Hyacinth Alia on Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dennis Akura and others for alleged diversion of local government funds.
The petition which was written on Tuesday, 20th February, 2024, was received and acknowledged yesterday at the headquarters of the the anti graft agency in Abuja.
In the petition also sent to President Bola Tinubu, the Director-General, Department of State Services, DSS and the Media, GICN, a group made up of lawyers, private investigators, human rights activists, media professionals and policy analysts, accused Akura and others of supervising brazen embezzlement and diversion of over N20 Billion being part of aggregate Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) funds which accrued to the 23 Local Government Councils in Benue State between June to November, 2023.
It said the LG Bureau under Governor Alia has been using some of its staff and privately owned companies to syphon the funds meant for local governments in the state.
