Maureen Okpe
The Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia, has directed the Attorney General of the State and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Bemsen Mnyim, to proceed on indefinite suspension.
This was disclosed on Wednesday, in a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Tersoo Kula.
According to the statement, Governor Alia gave the directive during a press conference shortly after the Benue State Executive Council meeting earlier today.
He stated that the suspension was necessitated by Barr. Mnyim’s ultra vires decision to join the state in a suit challenging the legality of anti-graft agencies, namely the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).
“No appointee is permitted to act unilaterally. No matter how pressing or urgent the issue is, one must resort to due consultations with me or appropriately brief me and seek my permission before acting, especially in a sensitive matter such as this.
“My administration is holding accountable those who embezzled money and drained our state dry. The EFCC and ICPC are assisting us in this effort.
“How can I now turn around and begin to challenge these watchdogs? I gave no permission for him to enter an appearance for the state. Because he acted on his own, I hereby suspend him indefinitely pending a satisfactory explanation of his actions.”