Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, on Friday filed a lawsuit seeking the payment of N60 billion from the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Senator George Akume.
The suit which is marked No. MHC/268/2021, was filed by Okon N. Efut, (SAN), and four other lawyers at the Makurdi High Court.
In the suit, the Governor is demanding a N50bn payment as General damages as well as additional N10bn as exemplary and aggravated damages from Akume.
This is coming after Akume had accused Ortom of disrespecting the President Muhammadu Buhari. The minister had also alleged that Ortom was involved in some corruption activities.
Akume who addressed a press conference in Abuja, on Monday, accused the governor of “corruption, ineptitude and disrespect to the president.”
The minister also alleged that Ortom allocated N800 million monthly to himself as security votes, a claim the governor had since denied, describing it as as “unfortunate and amounts to a betrayal, back-stabbing, double-crossing, selling out of Benue people, treachery, greed, unfaithfulness and falsehood.”
In another move, the Governor has filed a lawsuit seeking a perpetual injunction restraining the defendant by himself or through any agent, servants or privies from similar or further publication of any defamatory statement against him.
Meanwhile, the court is yet to fix a date for the hearing of the case, as of press time.
