₦11.9bn Ghost Contracts: Benue Government Under Governor Alia Caught Red-Handed in Billion-Naira Scam

Secrets Reporters

A damning procurement document obtained by SecretsReporters has ripped the veil off what appears to be an industrial-scale abuse of public trust in Benue State, exposing a troubling web of irregular, illegal and suspicious contract awards running into ₦11.9 billion between August and December 2023.

The records, drawn from official procurement filings, read less like routine government business and more like a how-not-to manual of public procurement, replete with missing approvals, ghost deliveries, backdated clearances and eye-watering figures that defy logic.

At the heart of the scandal are three major contracts whose paper values soar, but whose physical footprints are either faint or entirely invisible.

At the center of the controversy is a ₦7.18 billion vehicle procurement contract awarded on 25 August 2023 to MBS Investment and Property Limited, an Abuja-based company owned by one Mohammed Buhari Mohammed. The contract was meant to supply official vehicles for the Governor’s convoy, political appointees, and members of the Benue State House of Assembly.

However, investigations revealed that multiple senior political appointees, including Special Advisers and Principal Special Assistants, did not receive the vehicles allocated to them. Despite covering lawmakers under the same contract, the Governor allegedly purchased an additional seven SUVs, a bus, and Hilux vehicles for Assembly members using fresh public funds, raising serious questions about whether the original vehicles were supplied or payments fully justified.

Compounding the irregularities, official procurement records indicate that the contract was executed without Executive Council (Exco) approval, competitive bidding, or public advertisement. Furthermore, the Certificate of No Objection, a key compliance document, was allegedly backdated, raising suspicions of a deliberate circumvention of the Public Procurement Act.

In another controversial deal, Lajec Engineering Services Limited, another Abuja-based company owned by Oparaji Kenneth and Njoku Francis E. was awarded a ₦245 million contract on the same day, 25 August 2023, for the procurement of customized explosive detectors and multi-frequency band jammers for VIP convoy protection.
Findings revealed that the contract was executed without advertisement, bidding, or Exco approval, and there is no verifiable evidence that the equipment was ever delivered, tested, or deployed. Security experts note that the technical nature of such equipment ordinarily requires open competitive procurement, independent technical evaluation, and certification, all of which appear absent in this case.

Further raising eyebrows, Lajec Engineering Services Limited was also awarded a ₦4.48 billion contract on 8 December 2023 for the procurement of fairly used Hummer buses and 2018/2019 Toyota Hilux vehicles intended for palliative and security purposes. The contract value is exceptionally high given the vehicles’ used status. No valuation reports, auction sources, or detailed cost breakdowns have been provided to justify the payments.

Observers also noted that awarding multiple high-value contracts to a single contractor within a short time frame suggests contract splitting and favoritism. Evidence that the quantity, condition, and utility of the vehicles match the amounts paid remains limited, further deepening public concern over possible misappropriation of funds.

Across all the contracts, a pattern of procurement violations is evident. These include repeated absence of Exco approval, no competitive bidding, lack of public advertisement, backdated Certificates of No Objection, concentration of high-value contracts among a small circle of contractors, and weak or nonexistent evidence of delivery and utilization.

The revelations come at a time when Benue State continues to grapple with poverty, insecurity, and infrastructure deficits, making the alleged diversion of billions in public funds particularly alarming.