The Benue State House of Assembly on Tuesday suspended five members.
Disclosing this in a statement on Tuesday, the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Terver Zamber, said the lawmakers were suspended for three sittings for tempering with the report on the activities of the Chairman, Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri.
The full statement reads;
“Five members of the Benue State House of Assembly were today suspended for three sittings for tempering with the report on the activities of the Chairman, Otukpo Local Government Area Hon. Maxwell Ogiri.
“The members are, Hon. Shimawua Terna, Hon. Mathew Damkor, Hon. Cephas Dyako, Hon. Moses Egbodo and Hon. Isaac Echekliye, they are all members of the House Standing committee on Local Government, Security and Chieftaincy Affairs.
“Recall that, the Chairman of the Local Government, Security and Chieftaincy Affairs Hon. Terna Shimawua, alongside the members of the committee were mandated by the house to investigate alleged misappropriation of local government funds and abuse of office by the chairman Otukpo Local Government Hon. Maxwell Ogiri.
“During the presentation of the report on the floor of the house, the chairman and members of the committee deviated from the real findings.
“The House, dissatisfied with the report, constituted a five -member ad-hoc committee headed by Hon. Ipusu to investigate further and uncover the actual situation.
“Accordingly, the house suspended the members of the entire committee for three sittings for covering the truth on the misappropriation, abuse of office and closure of the Legislative Chamber by the Otukpo Local Government Chairman to protect him from punishment.”
