The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, had unfrozen the state accounts. This was made known by the Benue State Commissioner for Finance, David Olofu, on Thursday.
Olofu revealed that the affected banks informed the state government late on Wednesday of the directives vacating the earlier order.
The Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, Terver Akase, had on Wednesday confirmed the freezing of the state accounts.
The finance commissioner said, “We received an advisory from our bankers that the accounts of the state government have been placed on suspension.
“These accounts are the accounts of local government, Benue State Government House, and Benue State Government.
“The advisory did not say specifically the reason for freezing the accounts; so I will be speculating if I say I know. But the latest news now is that I got an advisory from the same banks that the directives to suspend the state government accounts had been lifted and no reason was given for that”, the commissioner stated.
When asked whether he had been invited by the anti-graft agency on the allegation of the N22bn security votes under investigation, Olofu who answered in affirmative, expressed worry over the investigation of the security votes.
He said, “Going to the EFCC is a routine, I have been there on a couple of times to throw more light on government expenditures, stating how government expenditures are made.
“On the issue of the security votes, I have been invited, they wanted to know specifically whether it was captured in the budget and we provided necessary documents.
“But you need to bear one thing in mind whether it is right to investigate security votes because one cannot advance how many invasions that the communities will be subjected to, so some of the expenditures cannot be estimated in advance.
“But as government, when making the budget, you make provisional arrangements for security and you spend as situation arises,” Olofu said.
The commissioner commended Nigerians and the leader of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum for standing against impunity, stressing that Governor Ortom was being persecuted for no just cause.
