₦21.3bn Storm: Again! Documents Link Governor Alia to Contract Fraud, Double Budgeting in Benue

Secrets Reporters

Fresh procurement documents obtained by SecretsReporters have cast a long shadow over the administration of Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Iormem Alia, revealing what official records describe as large-scale financial misappropriation, contract fraud and sweeping budgetary irregularities running into tens of billions of naira.

The documents, now the subject of a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), detail how several contracts under the Alia administration were allegedly awarded, fully paid for and gazetted as completed, despite indications that the projects were either unnecessary, grossly inflated, not executed at all or later recycled in subsequent budgets.

Remarkably, this is the fourth set of disclosures published by SecretsReporters on Governor Alia’s administration in less than two weeks, each pointing to a pattern rather than isolated slips, an echo of figures repeated, projects duplicated and funds apparently vanishing into thin air.

One of the most striking entries appears under Serial No. 7 of the procurement records. Dated May 12, 2023, Contract Ref: BSPPC-62/2023 shows that the Benue State Government approved ₦2,719,820,620.28 for the renovation of the Governor’s Lodge and Annex, Presidential Lodge, Vice Presidential Lodge and Jonah Jang Lodge in Makurdi.

The contract, awarded through the Ministry of Works and Housing to Kitavena Nigeria Ltd, lists Mr. Tavershima Philip Abah as the beneficial owner, alongside other directors including Iorfa Abah, Margaret Abah, Kine Abah Kine, Philip T. Abah, Maren Anshondo and Francis Mbatsav. Corporate records show the company was incorporated in Makurdi on March 30, 2007, with its registered address at Plot 8794 Garden off Den Complex, Modern Market, Makurdi.

Procurement documents indicate that these government lodges had been recently refurbished by the immediate past administration of Chief Samuel Ortom and were reportedly in good condition at the time the new contract was awarded, raising questions about the scale and necessity of a ₦2.7 billion renovation for facilities said to require, at most, cosmetic touch-ups.

Another entry, listed as Serial No. 12 and dated August 1, 2024, involves a far larger sum. Under Contract Ref: BSPPC-03/2024, the state government approved ₦18,601,830,293.39 for the construction of the Mbawaur Secondary School–Bako–Negher–Tyam–Naa–Adikpo/Calabar Road (20km), with a 14km spur linking Mede–Mbara–Mbaakon.

The project was awarded to Bauhaus Global Investment Nigeria Ltd, a company incorporated in Katsina on November 7, 2017, with Engr. Vizer Ibrahim listed as the beneficial owner. The records show the project was fully funded and officially gazetted as completed.

However, the same documents allege that no construction work has taken place on the road. More significantly, the identical project reportedly resurfaced in the 2026 budget presented by Governor Alia, approved by the Benue State House of Assembly and signed into law, this time classified as an “ongoing project.”

Beyond roads and lodges, procurement schedules reviewed by SecretsReporters also show that two underpass or interchange projects were similarly marked as completed and fully paid for, only to reappear in the 2026 budget. The repetition of the same projects, with fresh allocations, has raised further concerns about false completion claims and what the petition describes as budget recycling.

Across the contracts examined, the documents point to recurring procedural breaches. These include the absence of Executive Council approval, no evidence of project advertisement, lack of competitive bidding processes and Certificates of No Objection that appear to have been backdated.

Taken together, the figures cited in the documents put more than ₦21.3 billion in public funds under scrutiny, with the petition urging the EFCC to investigate possible violations of the Public Procurement Act, abuse of office and diversion of state resources.

While the documents stop short of drawing conclusions, the pattern they outline, of inflated sums, non-existent projects and recycled budgets, reads like a ledger with too many crossed lines and unanswered entries.

As investigations are being sought, the disclosures add to mounting public attention on fiscal governance in Benue State, with official records now speaking louder than press statements, and budget lines telling a story that has yet to be fully accounted for.