The Benue State House of Assembly has suspended five of its members for three sittings for tampering with a report on the activities of the Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Hon. Maxwell Ogiri.
The House took the decision during plenary on Tuesday. The suspended members are Hon. Shimawua Terna, Hon. Mathew Damkor, Hon. Cephas Dyako, Hon. Moses Egbodo, and Hon. Isaac Ochekliye, all of whom are members of the House Standing Committee on Local Government, Security, and Chieftaincy Affairs.
In a statement, the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Terver Zamber, said the suspension follows a probe into alleged misappropriation of local government funds and abuse of office by Hon. Ogiri.
According to him, the House had mandated the committee, led by Hon. Terna Shimawua, to investigate the allegations. However, during the presentation of the report, the committee deviated from the actual findings, prompting the House to constitute a new ad-hoc committee to investigate further.
He stated that the House found that the suspended members had covered up the truth about the misappropriation, abuse of office, and closure of the Legislative Chamber by the Otukpo Local Government Chairman to protect him from punishment, prompting their suspended for three sittings.
