Sources told SaharaReporters on Monday that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state is behind it.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has concluded plans to arrest and intimidate the immediate former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom.
Sources told SaharaReporters on Monday that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state is behind it.
According to the sources within the APC fold, the leader of the party in the state, Senator George Akume is part of the plot against Ortom. Ortom leaves office today, May 29, as his successor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, takes over.
"The plan is to use EFCC to arrest Governor Ortom as soon as he loses immunity today (May 29, 2023) and take him to Abuja where he will later be transferred to Lagos and tortured severely," one of the sources said.
The second part of the plan, according to the source, is "to commence a media trial of Ortom by using columnists and reports to convict him on the pages of newspapers and in the electronic media without any court verdict".
It was learnt that a team of EFCC officials had been covertly deployed from Abuja to Benue State on Sunday without the knowledge of the commission's office in Makurdi, the state capital, fearing they might leak the information.
The team was reportedly given the express mandate to invade Ortom’s house, ransack his residence and pick him up.
The source also said the EFCC had already drafted the charges to be filed against Ortom.
Akume has been alleged to have used several surrogates to write petitions against Ortom to the anti-graft agency, accusing him of misappropriation of public funds.
The minister is believed to still be feeling the pain of humiliation suffered in the 2019 senate election, which he lost.
Benue State Chairman of the APC, Comrade Austin Agada could not be immediately for commens.
Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to Governor Ortom on Media and Publicity, Mr. Terver Akase, has said his principal would not be afraid of any invitation from the anti-graft agency.
Akase said, "If the report is true, then I will say that EFCC does not need to use covert operations to harass Governor Ortom because the Governor has already said openly that he is ready to honour any invitation from the commission. He has nothing to hide.”
This is not the first time that EFCC is harassing Governor Samuel Ortom. Five years ago, the commission repeatedly probed the governor and invited his key appointees for interrogation but came out with nothing meaningful or tangible to tell Nigerians.
Ortom has been a strong critic of former President Muhammadu Buhari's administration, especially in terms of insecurity following persistent and consistent killings in Benue State.
On Saturday, Ortom described Buhari's administration as the worst in the history of Nigeria, saying the former President “must be told that he failed woefully and Nigerians are feeling the impact of that failure because we are all suffering.”
According to Ortom, Buhari plunged Nigeria into unimaginable poverty and insecurity, unlike what used to flourish under his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan.
Speaking at the opening of the headquarters of the Benue State Community Volunteer Guards, BSCVGs, in Makurdi, Ortom said, “I served under the then President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration and we all saw how Nigeria flourished under that administration. We all knew what the prices of goods and services were at the time.
“We also know what our exchange rate was at the time and what it is today. I want Nigerians to do a simple comparison and you will realise how bad it has been under this government and how Nigeria has been taken several years backwards by the Buhari government.
“The fact is that never in the history of Nigeria did we experience this kind of bad governance in the country.
“Corruption is so endemic in this government, yet people who steal chicken are thrown into prison, but people in government who are busy stealing the wealth of the people are walking free.
“The President recently apologised to Nigerians; we accept the apology but he must be told that he failed woefully and Nigerians are feeling the impact of that failure because we are all suffering.”
Meanwhile, Ortom has reacted to the media report that some detachments of EFCC officials may have laid siege to his residence to arrest him.
Some sections of the online media on Monday morning said that officials of the EFCC had arrived in Makurdi, the Benue State capital Sunday night, allegedly working on the invitation of the ruling APC in the state, with the intention to arrest Ortom.
"The plan is to use EFCC to arrest Governor Ortom as soon as he loses immunity today (29th May, 2023) and take him to Abuja where he will be later transferred to Lagos and tortured severely,", the media had revealed.
The report also went further to reveal that, "a team of EFCC officials was covertly deployed from Abuja to Benue State, yesterday, the 28th of May, without the knowledge of the commission's Makurdi office who they feared might leak the plot to Governor Ortom.
"The team was reportedly given the express mandate to invade Ortom’s house and ransack the residence to pick him up".
Reacting to the report, Mr. Terver Akase, Media Aide to Ortom, said there was no cause for worry as his Principal had nothing to hide.
"We read some online reports which stated that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has deployed a team of its officers to Benue State to arrest and detain the immediate past Governor of the State, Samuel Ortom over unfounded allegations.
"It is pertinent to state categorically that His Excellency Samuel Ortom has nothing to hide and will be available if and whenever the EFCC invites him.
"Governor Ortom has repeatedly said that he ran a transparent administration and is willing to honour the invitation of any anti-corruption agency that wants to get clarifications on operations of his administration," he sudai said.
Ortom, on Sunday, May 28, 2023, presented his handover notes to the new governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Allia in Old Banquet Hall, Makurdi, having served as governor for eight years.
The new Governor is currently being inaugurated at IBB Square, Makurdi.