EFCC: I’ve no hand in your arrest –Ortom tells Suswam

Governor Ortom of Benue State has urged his predecessor, Gabriel Suswam, to come up with defence of allegations of massive looting and misappropriation of state funds leveled against him during his eight-year tenure as governor of the state.
Ortom, while reacting to speculation by Suswam in some national dailies that the present administration in the state is responsible for his travails said Suswam should acquit himself by proving his innocence of the allegations.
He said: “Our candid advice is that Dr. Suswam should prepare to avail himself of the opportunity offered by the Justice Elizabeth Kpojime Judicial Commission of Inquiry to defend his administration on issues raised rather than playing to the gallery. His appearance before the commission would surely make headlines and publicise his side of the story.

“The people of the state want to know what happened to their shares in BCC, Julius Berger, numerous CBN and other banks loans, Sure-P funds as well as other issues raised in his stewardship.
“We don’t think the resort to the media and the courts which the former governor had earlier despised by ignoring their orders can make atonement.
“Let it be known that the Ortom administration has no hand in former Governor Suswam’s current ordeal with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),” the governor in a statement in Abuja by his adviser on Media, publicity and ICT, Tahav Agerzu added.”

“As an independent anti-graft agency with presence in all states of the federation, the EFCC does not need the prompting of anyone to go after glaring cases of looting of public funds as was the case under former governor Suswam.
“It must be made abundantly clear that contrary to the claims by Dr Suswam, the Ortom administration has no hand in the petition which led to his arrest and interrogation by EFCC.
This administration believes in due process and the rule of law, hence, it constituted a Judicial Commission to avail all concerned, the opportunity to state their side of the story”, the statement stated.