The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday, arraigned Dr. Tersoo Joseph Loko, the former Chairman of the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSEIC), alongside 10 other individuals before Justice M. S. Abubakar of the Federal High Court in Makurdi.
The defendants face charges related to the alleged diversion and misappropriation of public funds amounting to N1,100,000,000.
The case centres on the handling of funds entrusted to the BSEIC during Loko’s tenure as chairman.
EFCC officials described the arraignment as part of broader investigations into financial accountability and transparency within state-level electoral institutions across Nigeria.
Electoral commissions are responsible for managing significant public resources for voter registration, logistics, and other election-related activities, making allegations of fund diversion particularly sensitive in a country where electoral integrity remains a key concern.
Specific details of the charges, including the exact nature of the alleged fraud and the roles of the 10 co-defendants, were not fully disclosed in initial public statements.
The EFCC’s announcement emphasized the scale of the alleged fraud but provided no further breakdown of how the funds were purportedly diverted or the specific counts against each defendant.
Dr. Loko, who previously served as BSEIC chairman, has faced prior scrutiny from anti-corruption agencies.
In 2021, he and eight others were arraigned by the EFCC over an alleged N500 million fraud involving similar concerns around public funds management at the commission.
This latest case appears to be a separate or escalated matter, reflecting intensified efforts by the EFCC to probe financial irregularities in subnational institutions.
Court proceedings on Wednesday focused on the formal reading of charges, though available reports did not indicate whether pleas were entered or if bail applications were made.
