Historic Benue Robbery: Inside Governor Alia’s Multi-Billion Naira Spending Spree That Left Billions Disappearing into Thin Air

Secrets Reporters

In another mind troubling development, the Benue State is once again under the spotlight as fresh revelations from state procurement documents expose a trail of eye-watering contracts for government vehicles, road projects, and supposed public welfare interventions. The latest documents, obtained by SecretsReporters, lay bare billions of Naira disbursed under Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration, raising serious questions about transparency, duplication, and value for money. This marks the third exposé on the Alia administration in a single week.

According to the incriminating documents in our possession, on 25 August 2023, the Benue State Government released a stupefying ₦7.18 billion to MBS Investment and Property Limited, a company directed by one Mohammed Buhari, for the procurement of official vehicles. We gathered that these vehicles were earmarked for “His Excellency’s convoy, political appointees, and members of the Benue State House of Assembly.” The sheer scale of this release, ostensibly covering multiple top officials, would have provided the state with a formidable fleet. Yet, this massive disbursement was only the beginning.

Barely five months later, on 3 January 2024, the Ministry of Works and Housing awarded another contract, Serial No. 21, BSPPC-20/2024 to Gerawa Global Engineering Ltd. The deal, valued at ₦819.47 million, was for the supply of nine assorted vehicles for top government functionaries. Gerawa Global Engineering, incorporated in Kano in 2000, lists six directors, including Yunusa Isa and Ibrahim Isa, though its current operational status remains unclear.

The spending spree continued on 7 August 2024, when Mujaf Automobile Nig. Ltd, a company registered in Garki, Abuja in 2017, was awarded a contract worth ₦5.34 billion (Serial No. 23, BSPPC-37/2024). The deal covered the procurement of 15 Toyota Hilux (manual transmission) and 24 Prado V4 2023-model vehicles. Directors of the company include Abubakar Ibrahim and Rashidat Abubakar. The rapid succession of vehicle purchases, coming on the heels of the August 2023 ₦7.18 billion release has raised eyebrows over possible duplication and overlapping procurements.

In addition to vehicle contracts, documents revealed that Governor Alia awarded a contract to Engr. Terlumun Dewua’s Detex Electrical Nig. Ltd for the relocation of electrical installations along the dualization of the Makurdi–Otukpo–Orokam Road. Dated 10 August 2024 and valued at ₦1.65 billion (BSPPC-129/2024), the project allegedly excluded the Enugu axis from public descriptions, prompting questions about why the Federal Government’s role in the road dualization was seemingly overlooked. Detex Electrical, incorporated in Katsina-Ala in 2010, lists Terlumun Deewua, Timothy Ahura, Trever Yev, and Nguemo Terlumun as directors.

The procurement records also reveal contracts without substantive content, intensifying scrutiny. Serial No. 19 (BSPPC-10/2024, 19 January 2024) shows ₦307.92 million awarded to Chivenoch Global Limited for the installation and maintenance of 448 solar street-light poles in Makurdi. Shockingly, the contract mentions poles only, with no provision for actual solar lights, leaving observers questioning the utility of the project and the whereabouts of the installations.

Equally troubling is Serial No. 20 (BSPPC-18/2024, 26 February 2024), where ₦1.04 billion was awarded to Gerawa Rice Mills Ltd for the supply of 18,000 bags of 50kg rice, intended for 30 trucks and distribution to the poor and vulnerable. To date, there is no verifiable evidence showing when or where the rice was distributed, or who benefited. Both contracts, insiders say lacked EXCO approval, were unadvertised, and carried backdated Certificates of No Objection, raising clear violations of public procurement laws.