Igala youth council petitions EFCC over alleged diversion of Kogi LG funds

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Igala Youth Council, in collaboration with concerned civil society organisations from Kogi State, on Wednesday submitted a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) demanding an urgent investigation into alleged diversion of local government funds in the state.

The National President of the Igala Youth Council, Collins Onogu, made this known during the presentation of the petition at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.

Onogu said the group was compelled to act following what it described as “systematic misappropriation” of statutory allocations meant for grassroots development.

He said the petition outlined concerns over discrepancies in the utilisation of funds across the 21 local government areas of the state.

He said an analysis conducted by the group showed that Okene Local Government alone received N5.3 billion in 2024, but only 26 per cent of the allocation was spent on salaries and minimal administrative needs.

“Up till this moment, we are not aware of what happened to over 84 per cent of the allocation to that particular local government,” he said.

Onogu added that similar findings were observed in other councils used as case studies, including Dekina, Yagba East, and Adavi LGAs.

According to him, Dekina Local Government received N4.4 billion in 2024, with over 77.9 per cent allegedly unaccounted for.

He said the petition became necessary to alert the public and seek EFCC’s intervention in ensuring accountability in the management of local government resources.

“We demand an independent audit of all Kogi State local government allocations from 2024 to date.

“We want immediate investigation and prosecution of those involved. Local government chairmen must have full access to their statutory funds,” he said.

He urged the EFCC to deploy undercover investigators to the state, interview workers discreetly, and ensure that funds meant for development reach the intended beneficiaries.