The Imo Coalition For Justice, Peace and True Democracy, has called for the arrest and prosecution of a former Governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha for allegedly diverting over N19 billion naira state funds during his seven months reign as Governor.
The group in a statement in Owerri and signed by its Secretary, Ahumareze Ikechukwu, stated that the funds diverted by the former governor, was discovered during a routine audit of the accounts and records of JAAC with the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs by the Local Government Auditor General of the state for the fiscal year ended 31st December, 2019.
The group further claimed that “We uncovered also other fictitious and fraudulent withdrawals which include compulsory returns or kick backs from local Government Councils to the BLGCA to the tune of N2.40bn.
The group recalled that the “Imo State government had approved the request of the Auditor General for local governments and Chieftaincy Affairs, to take all necessary steps to recover the sum of N19.63bn siphoned from the State- local government Joint Accounts Allocation Committee (JAAC), through the Bureau For Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs (BLGCA) by the sacked government of Emeka Ihedioha in just 8 months in office.
“The staggering amount was siphoned for undisclosed purposes” it stated
It stated that Ihedioha used fronts to siphon LGA funds, alleging that “money was illegally withdrawn from JAAC account without any Memorandum of Understanding (M.O.U), or Stores Receipt Vouchers (S.R.V), or Stores Issue Vouchers (S.I.V), in accordance with extant laws.
“We hold that some of the agents used by Ihedioha’s government to siphon the billions of naira include, the Managing Director of Wall House Ltd, a crony of the sacked Governor, who was paid N1.215bn for supply of construction equipment without any document, which he didn’t supply. There was also an unconscionable mandatory withdrawal of N2.405 billion by the Bureau For Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs (BLGCA).
“Other payment of N9.378 billion to Local Government Councils for an undisclosed purpose. Also Mr.Anyama and co received N245 million for no disclosed purpose.
It noted that “most curious was N25 million paid twice to the Principal Secretary to the Governor in December 2019 as security vote” recalling that construction of 27 LGA stadia embarked on by the administration gulped billions of naira.
It noted that the former governor is not above the law and should not be treated as a scared cow for looting the state treasury.