The Benue State Government has announced that over N48 billion meant for local government funds were diverted into private accounts during the 8-year tenure of former Governor,  Gabriel Suswam.

This was disclosed on Saturday by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Barr Targema Takema in the course of a reception organized in his Honour by the Mbaiwoo Development Association in Buruku Local Government area of the state.

Disclosing that while 29,000 local government staff were maintained by the past administration, he stated that only about 14,000 were actually present in the 23 local government areas in the state.

Takema said that Suswam’s administration robbed the state between N600-N700 million of local government funds monthly which went to wrong hands in the name of payment of local government staff.

The SSG noted that as a member of the transition committee, he can authoritatively declare that the indebtedness of the state as established by the committee now stands at N130 billion as against the 90 billion earlier mentioned.

He however disclosed that arrangements have been concluded to ensure that all those who stole from the pubic treasury are made to return it to the very last kobo after the committee briefs the people of the state in the coming days.