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EFCC Releases Samuel Ortom After Hours of ‘Intense’ Quizzing
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has released Samuel Ortom, former governor of Benue State from their custody after hours of intense questioning.
Ortom was invited by the EFCC on Tuesday morning to answer allegations relating to his eight years of stewardship as governor of the state. The former governor arrived at the EFCC office at about 10:00 am and was grilled by detectives for over 10 hours.
According to his media aide, Terver Akase, Ortom was quizzed on a wide range of issues, including the award of contracts, the management of state funds, and the procurement of security equipment.
Akase said that Ortom was released at about 8:00 pm on Tuesday evening after the EFCC concluded its investigation.
“The former governor was released on self-recognition after the EFCC concluded its investigation,” Akase said. He said that Ortom was not charged with any crime and that he was free to go about his normal business.
The EFCC has not yet released a statement on the investigation into Ortom. However, the former governor’s release has been welcomed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), of which Ortom is a member.
In a statement, the PDP said that it commended Ortom for his “dignity and composure” during his interrogation by the EFCC. The party also said that it was confident that Ortom would be cleared of any wrongdoing.
“We are confident that the former governor will be cleared of any wrongdoing,” the PDP said. “We urge the EFCC to conclude its investigation and release its findings as soon as possible.”
Meanwhile, the Benue state house of Assembly has set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the income and expenditures of the 23 LGAs of the state. The committee was constituted by Aondona Dajoh, speaker of the assembly, following a request by Hyacinth Alia, governor of the state.