In another mind-troubling development, 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 Secret Reporters and reviewed by Chronicles Reporters, 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 these vehicle purchases, coming on the heels of the August 2023 ₦7.18 billion release, has raised eyebrows over possible duplication and overlapping procurements.
Beyond vehicles, documents also reveal 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.
Even more troubling are procurement records showing contracts with little or no substantive content.
Serial No. 19 (BSPPC-10/2024, dated 19 January 2024) indicates that ₦307.92 million was 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 lighting systems, leaving observers questioning the utility of the project and the current location or visibility of the installations.
Equally alarming is Serial No. 20 (BSPPC-18/2024, dated 26 February 2024), where ₦1.04 billion was awarded to Gerawa Rice Mills Ltd for the supply of 18,000 bags of 50kg rice, reportedly 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 from the intervention.
Insiders familiar with the procurement process told Secret Reporters that both contracts allegedly lacked EXCO approval, were not advertised, and carried backdated Certificates of No Objection—raising clear red flags and pointing to potential violations of Nigeria’s public procurement laws.
As pressure mounts and documents continue to surface, questions persist over accountability, due process, and whether the people of Benue State truly received value for the billions released in their name.