EFCC Moves On Election Funds Fraud Case
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission brought a former head of the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission, Dr Tersoo Joseph Loko, before the Federal High Court in Makurdi over an alleged N1.1 billion fraud linked to public funds meant for electoral duties.
The arraignment followed investigations into how money allocated to run elections at the state level was handled under his leadership.
Loko appeared before Justice M S Abubakar alongside 10 other defendants, all accused of working together to divert and misuse N1,100,000,000 belonging to the public.
The anti-graft agency said the case is part of wider efforts to probe electoral bodies across the country amid rising concerns about accountability and transparency in election management.
Officials believe weaknesses in financial controls within such commissions have allowed large sums to be abused.
In that matter, prosecutors accused the Kano officials of funnelling commission funds through private bank accounts tied to a farm business, allegedly diverting the money for uses outside their official mandate.
The EFCC says such cases signal a tougher stance on how election funds are managed nationwide
