Benue Finance Commissioner Michael Oglegba, Detained in Abuja Over ₦1.2bn Vehicle Contract Scandal

Secrets Reporters

The Benue State seat of power has been rocked by a case of corruption and shock following the arrest of the State Commissioner for Finance, Michael Oglegba, at the Force Headquarters in Abuja over an unpaid ₦1.2 billion contract for the supply of vehicles to the State House of Assembly, a development that has left the governor, Hyacinth Alia, troubled.

Documents obtained by SecretsReporters reveal that the controversy centres on an “emergency procurement” process initiated in August 2025. The Benue State House of Assembly had sought to acquire nine official vehicles: seven Toyota Land Cruiser Prado SUVs for lawmakers, a Toyota Hilux for the Clerk of the House, and a Toyota Hiace bus for general assembly use.

The documents indicated a speedy procurement timeline. Following a “No Objection” certificate issued by the Benue State Public Procurement Commission, a request for quotation dated 13 August 2025 invited Royal Brims Investments Limited to bid for the contract. The tender set a strict submission deadline of 15 August 2025. By 19 August, Brims Autos had issued an invoice addressed to the Benue State Government, itemising the vehicles at a total cost of ₦1.205 billion, exclusive of taxes.

Formal approval followed shortly thereafter. A cash allocation document from the Office of the Accountant-General of Benue State, dated 28 August 2025, authorised the release of ₦1,204,999,498.04 to Royal Brims Investment Ltd. The document explicitly described the sum as “full payment of contract sum”, referencing a contract awarded the previous day, 27 August.

It is worthy of note that the portions of the contract agreement between the Assembly and the contractor stipulated that the state government was to pay 100 percent of the total sum upon execution of the agreement, delivery of the vehicles, and receipt of the invoice.

The cash allocation notice further instructed that all statutory deductions, including withholding tax, stamp duty, and VAT, be applied before the final disbursement.

However, despite these approvals and the governor’s express directive, the payment stalled. According to our sources, Governor Alia had approved the release of the ₦1.2 billion and directed the Ministry of Finance to effect immediate payment. The Governor has since raised serious concerns regarding why his directive was ignored, noting that Oglegba failed to make payment till date.