Minister Denies Diverting ₦16.5bn For Taraba Bridge Construction

The Minister of State for regional development, Uba Maigari, has refuted allegations that he diverted the sum of ₦16.5 billion meant for the reconstruction of the collapsed Namnai bridge in Gassol local government area of Taraba State.

Addressing journalists in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, the minister, who spoke through his lead counsel, Ibrahim Effiong, described the claims as baseless, deliberately crafted to mislead the public.

According to him, the minister has already instituted a legal action against the individual behind the accusations, a social media activist identified as Abdulmumuni Imam.

He insisted that, despite making weighty allegations, Imam had failed to provide any evidence and had instead gone into hiding.

The counsel revealed that making accusations without proof constitutes a serious offence under the Nigerian constitution and against cyber Cybercrime Act, and the decision to pursue legal action was necessary to provide a deterrent against the rising trend of unverified and malicious claims on social media.

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Abdulmumuni Imam had raised a distress alarm via his social media handle, alleging that the minister secretly procured a security order directing the police, DSS, and civil defence to arrest him over his criticism of government inaction on the collapsed Namnai bridge.

He claimed that the Federal Executive Council had approved the amount for the emergency reconstruction of the bridge.