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The 23 Local Government Chairmen in Benue State have demanded the immediate redeployment of the Permanent Secretary of the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Terna Ayu, and the Director of Finance and Accounts, Mr. Bishop Terkura Dzungwe.
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The chairmen made the demand after discovering that their allocations had allegedly been withdrawn from the Local Government Joint Account (JAAC) without their consent or approval.
According to the chairmen, the officials had been paying each local government chairman ₦10 million monthly for security, but the payments have since stopped even though funds continue to be withdrawn from the JAAC account. They further alleged that ₦500 million was deducted from each local government’s allocation last month without authorisation.
The scheduled JAAC meeting yesterday ended abruptly after the chairmen walked out in protest. When contacted, the Director of Finance and Accounts reportedly said Governor Hyacinth Alia had directed that funds from the local government accounts be mopped up and sent to him.
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The chairmen also accused the accountant of authorising payments for fake contracts, including one valued at ₦160 million from Ushongo Local Government Area.
The development has heightened tension between the local government councils and the state Bureau for Local Government. No official response has been received from the state government as of the time of this report.
