The Kogi State Government has dismissed, as baseless, unfounded and politically sponsored, allegations of diversion of local council funds currently before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), insisting that the state operates one of the most transparent local council financial systems in the country.
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Briefing journalists in Abuja yesterday, the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, said the petition submitted by a coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) was a deliberate attempt to malign the state and smear the reputation of Governor Usman Ododo through what he described as fabricated claims.
Last week, three CSOs African Transparency Initiative (ATI), Community Outreach for Development and Welfare Advocacy (CODWA) and Concerned Kogi State Citizens petitioned the EFCC, alleging widespread diversion of council funds through what they called the Lokoja Voucher Scheme.
In the petition, dated November 18, 2025, and copied to several federal oversight institutions, the groups alleged that funds were siphoned through fabricated vouchers and contracts for non-existent projects, claiming that Shell companies owned by Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) received huge sums.
They also claimed that local council officials were compelled to sign documents without Bills of Quantity, tenders or site verification; that fraudulent vouchers were allegedly processed monthly, draining council funds before they reached communities; 95 per cent of the Local Government Service Commission’s one per cent monthly allocation was “re-looted” through non-tendered contracts.
The petitioners claimed that the alleged actions violated the EFCC Act, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) Act and Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act. They demanded a forensic audit of all council accounts from January 2024, identification and prosecution of all complicit officials and PEPs, recovery of diverted funds and reforms to safeguard local council autonomy.
But the Commissioner maintained that “not a kobo” of council allocation is tampered with by the state government, stressing that local councils in Kogi receive their full statutory allocations and independently determine their expenditures, contracts, payroll and development priorities in line with constitutional provisions.
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