TAKEOVER OF ATOM AKPERA LODGE WAS EXCO'S DECISION - GUSA
Benue State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Michael Gusa has debunked rumours that Governor Samuel Ortom ordered government officials to takeover the Atom Kpera Lodge purportedly allocated to former Governor, Gabriel Suswam during his tenure.
Speaking in an interview, Barrister Gusa explained that it was the decision of the State Executive Council which directed the revocation of the said lodge after discovering that the allocation was illegal as due process was not followed.
He said the State Executive Council discovered that the former governor misused power and allocated a government lodge to himself before necessary application was tendered for processing and the Council directed its revocation and taking over accordingly.
The Commissioner for Justice explained that former governor Suswam took the State Government to the Makurdi High Court but the suit was dismissed against him and the State Government accordingly took over its property.
He explained that by law, the State Government was right to take over the property, saying that even if the former governor had gone on appeal, no court has the issued any stay of execution order against the government restraining it from making use of the affected property.