Apprehension As Benue Governor, Alia Sets Up Committee To Recover Government Vehicles From Samuel Ortom, Aides

Hyacinth Alia, the Governor of Benue State has moved to recover government properties.

He has set up a committee to recover all government properties including vehicles allegedly looted by the immediate past governor, Samuel Ortom and his allies.

Governor Alia, through his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, had earlier decried the alleged looting of government vehicles and other properties by Ortom’s government while leaving office.

Tersoo had reportedly said that “The PDP looted Government House to a point that the new government under governor Hyacinth Alia, met no single car or truck in Government House. The governor’s visits to agencies and parastatals have uncovered the highest level of rot ever witnessed in the history of Benue State.”

Reacting to the allegation, the former Special Adviser to Ortom, Terver Akase, had said that the State Executive Council of the past administration granted a waiver to government officials to go with their official vehicles.

According to Akase, “On the issue of vehicles, the present administration may wish to be informed that it was the decision of the Benue State Executive Council that government officials, including the governor and his deputy, be given waivers to enable them to go with the official vehicles allocated to them.

“Governor Ortom, therefore, did nothing unlawful by leaving office with the official vehicles allocated to him.”

However, on Sunday, Governor Alia’s Chief Press Secretary, Kula, said that the governor had inaugurated an assets recovery committee both at state and local government levels to recover all the alleged looted properties.

Kula stated that “Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Alia, has inaugurated two assets recovery committees. One is to work at the state level, while the other at the local government level.

“The committee members are, among other things, mandated to ascertain all assets of the government, including lands, vehicles, houses, furniture and other machinery.”

He noted that representatives of security agents were to be deployed in the recovery mission, saying that “Both committees will have able representatives from Department of State Services, police, military and Nigeria Civil Defence Corps.”