A former governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, and two others, were on Monday accused by the Federal Government, of diverting N9.79 billion, part of funds meant for police reform programme and Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme.
The SURE-P scheme was set up by the then President Goodluck Jonathan administration following the partial removal of fuel subsidy in 2012.
The funds were allegedly diverted between 2012 and 2015, when Suswam held sway as the governor of Benue State.
The allegations are contained in a 32-count charge of fraud and money laundering, filed against Suswam and the two others, a former finance commissioner, Mr. Omadachi Oklobia and the accountant, Benue State Government House Administration, Mrs. Janet Aluga.
In the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/48/2017, filed before an Abuja Federal High Court and signed by counsel in the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation Aminu Alilu and Kehinde Fagbemi, the prosecution alleged that the three defendants committed the offences between 2012 and 2015.
The suit accused the defendants of conspiracy, conversion of property derived directly from corruption; collaboration to conceal property derived from corruption; obtaining by false pretences and accepting cash payments, exceeding the amount authorised by law.
The offences were said to be contrary to and punishable under various provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, and the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act.
Counts one and two stated that the defendants, between August 8 and March 15, 2015, conspired and converted the sum of N4,135,208,404.90, allegedly “derived directly from corruption.”
The money was said to have been taken “from the Benue State SURE-P account number 0116099195, domiciled in Guaranty Trust Bank, and paid into various illegal accounts with the aim of concealing the money.”
In counts three and four, the prosecution accused the defendants of committing similar offences by transferring the sum of N2,975,329,418.88 from SURE-P account to illegal accounts between August 8, 2014 and March 16, 2015.
In counts five to nine, the prosecution also accused the three defendants of conspiracy, collaboration to conceal, obtaining by false pretences and conversion of a cumulative sum of N7,110,537,823.78, allegedly derived directly from corruption.
Part of the charges read, “That you, Rt. Hon. Gabriel T. Suswam (m), former governor of Benue State of No. 1 Rio Negro Street, Maitama, Abuja; Omadachi Oklobia (m), former Commissioner for Finance of Flat 1 Block A13, Marathon Avenue, Games Village, Abuja; and Janet Aluga (f), former Accountant , Benue State Government House Administration of David Mark Extension, Agber Village, Makurdi, Benue State, between August 8, 2012 and March 16, 2015 at Makurdi, Benue State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did conspire among yourselves to transfer a total sum of about N4,135,208,404.90, from the Benue State SURE-P account number 0116099195, domiciled in Guaranty Trust Bank, into various illegal accounts with the aim of concealing the money which you derived directly from corruption.
“That you, Rt. Hon. Gabriel T. Suswam (m), former Governor of Benue State of No. 1 Rio Negro Street, Maitama, Abuja; Omadachi Oklobia (m), former Commissioner for Finance of Flat 1 Block A13, Marathon Avenue, Games Village, Abuja; and Janet Aluga (f), former Accountant , Benue State Government House Administration of David Mark Extension, Agber Village, Makurdi, Benue State, between August 8, 2012 and March 16, 2015 at Makurdi, Benue State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did collaborate to conceal the genuine nature and origin of a total sum of about N7,110,537,823.78 which you moved from the Benue State SURE-P account number 1013470079 and account number 0116099195, domiciled in Zenith Bank Plc and Guaranty Trust Bank respectively, into various illegal accounts being money you derived from corruption.
“That you, Rt. Hon. Gabriel T. Suswam (m), former Governor of Benue State of No. 1 Rio Negro Street, Maitama, Abuja; Omadachi Oklobia (m), former Commissioner for Finance of Flat 1 Block A13, Marathon Avenue, Games Village, Abuja; and Janet Aluga (f), former Accountant , Benue State Government House Administration of David Mark Extension, Agber Village, Makurdi, Benue State, on or about August 14, 2014, at Makurdi, Benue State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, committed an offence, to wit: by false pretences and with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N45,000,000 from Police Reform Programme in Skye Bank account number 1750022970, belonging to the Nigeria Police and paid into the Benue State Government House First Bank Account number 2023289293 for your own benefit.”
