The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has taken the former Governor of Benue state, Samuel Ortom into custody for questioning over allegations mismanagement of funds.
The QUEST TIMES gathered that the immediate past governor is currently at the anti-corruption agency at the time of filing this report on Tuesday.
It was gathered that Gov. Ortom drove into the Makurdi zonal office of the agency, which is located at Alor Gordon Street in the state capital at exactly 10:08 am.
The governor was sighted walking into the agency building with some of former aides.
The former governor’s media aide, Terver Akase, and his Principal Special Assistant on Special Duties, Abraham Kwanhgu, were sighted with him.
He had not left the premises as of 11:25 am when this report was filed.
Findings by the Quest Times revealed how Ortom handed over a debt profile of N187.7 billion to the administration of Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia.
Ortom at a brief ceremony held at the old banquet hall of Government House in Makurdi, told Alia that the handover notes in three volumes were a summary of his eight years of administration.
He stressed that the total income of the state during his eight years sojourn amounted to N734.9billion as at April 2023 while the total debt incurred by the state within the period stood at N187.7billion inclusive of unpaid salary, pension arrears, loans and bonds among others.
He also intimated his successor of a debt swap/reduction arrangement between the state and the Federal Government to the tune of N97.716 billion.
According to him with an expected inflow of N48billion, after discount, the negotiated debt swap would be reduced to N45.2 billion, thereby bringing down the state’s total debt profile.