N750m Fraud: Benue Assembly Speaker and Co, Stop Beating About the Bush.

By Israel Adama

My online dictionary tells me, ‘beating about the bush’ means when someone is trying to avoid talking about an embarrassing or difficult topic. Another one says it is when someone talks about lots of unimportant things because they want to avoid talking about what is really important.


Benue State assembly has been enmeshed in allegations of fraud for weeks now. From Newspaper reports, the Deputy Speaker of the house, James Ejembi Okefe was given a contract of N750 million to deliver vehicles to assembly members and somehow it became a scam involving no less than 21 other members both from the ruling All Progressives Party (APC) and the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP). This issue was pungent enough to attract the attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) who commenced investigation, in fact, the speaker of the house, Terkimbi Ikyange and the members allegedly involved in the fraud were detained for three days until the reluctant benevolence of the state Governor, Samuel Ortom bailed them out.

All these had existed as a rumour on unauthorised lips until few days ago when, after the Governor bailed them, he washed his hands off the controversy. He commended the EFCC for their work and declared that the Speaker and other house members under investigation were on their own.

Before then, the assembly had employed all efforts of ‘beating about the bush’. After weeks of not sitting, they conjured the flimsy excuse that the assembly complex was under renovation hence their inability to resume sitting. From one excuse to another, until the slow burning fire of truth caught up with them.

Even as the matter is in the open, these assembly members are still trying to divert attention. Instead of facing the issue head-on, they continue to beat about the bush. Their latest ploy is a publication in the PUNCH newspaper of Sunday, 2nd July 2016 titled “Benue Assembly moves to impeach Deputy Governor” where it is reported that house were gearing to impeach the Deputy Governor, Engr Benson Abounu. It adds the EFCC petition that led to the investigation of members of the house, was written by the son of the Deputy Govenor, Dr Abounu Abounu hence their anger. It’s surprising that the publication did not refute the allegations but rather bothered about the source of the petition. This tactic is not only poorly concocted but a rape on the collective consciousness of Benue people.

Who cares whether (with all due respect) it is the son, daughter, uncle, cousin or aunty of the Deputy Governor or Governor who prompted the investigating if it was indeed true? In a state where the government is trying to make ends meet in order to cater for the most basic obligations like payment of workers’ salaries, it’s appalling and worrying that supposedly honourable lawmakers will be embroiled in a scam of this magnitude and still try to divert attention.

This is not the first time Benue assembly members will choose rather to divert attention than face the crux of a matter. Sometime last year, when this same Deputy Speaker, James Okefe was accused of fondling with the revenue allocation to his local government by arm twisting the council chairman, his colleagues in the house turned the heat on the blogger who allegedly exposed the issue and also on the council chairman, instead of probing the deputy Speaker. Now that his nefarious ways have yet again surfaced and sunk them on National scale, it behoves of Benue assembly members to do the needful.

Benue state, like I said before, is struggling. We are not like self-sufficient Lagos or oil-lubricated Cross River states. We are a bit backward, and if you don’t think so, at least we can all agree that the former captain of the ship, Ex-Governor Gabriel Suswam went titanic style and the present administration is on a difficult rescue mission. The waters are still turbulent, and the last thing the state needs is extra baggage. The Benue house of assembly needs to make light weight of the ship by throwing the guilty one(s) overboard rather than engage in endless diversionary shenanigans.

Barrister Adama Israel writes from Abuja. He is also a human rights activist.