The Special Adviser to the Benue State Government on Security Matters, Paul Hembah, has been arrested by the Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for allegedly misappropriating N42 million.
The suspect who is a retired Lieutenant Colonel allegedly transferred a sum of N42 million from official account of his office to his personal bank account and withdrew the sum the same day.
According to the EFCC, the money was meant for disbursement to Benue State Vigilante Group, BSVG.
The EFCC also alleged that the governor’s aide between October 2018 and May 2020 also abused his office by fraudulently paying the N20million monthly allocation meant for BSVG into personal account of the Commandant of the Group, George Mbessey instead of using the official account of the group.
The alleged offence, if established violates Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.
Hembah, who was quizzed for over 6 hours on Wednesday has volunteered useful information to our investigators and would be arraigned in court as soon as investigations are concluded.
Operatives of the EFCC on May 27, 2020 had arrested the State Commandant of the Benue State Vigilante Group, George Mbessey in connection with alleged mismanagement of the N449.5million meant for the Benue State Vigilante Group, BSVG.
