The Benue State Commissioner for Justice and Public Order and Attorney-General, Fidelis Mnyim, disclosed on Tuesday that the current administration inherited over N14 billion as consent judgment from its predecessor.
He made this revelation during a meeting with reporters in his office.
He explained that the former government of Samuel Ortom entered into numerous consent judgments before leaving office. These were legal agreements that obliged the state to pay various sums of money to contractors and pensioners who sued the government for non-payment.
He said, “These group of people became so aggressive and filed cases against the state government.
“When we came in, we had over 14 billion naira conceit judgment. These consent judgments cannot be appealed because the government agreed to pay them and the government is a continuum.”
He added that some of these judgments resulted in garnishee orders, which allowed the creditors to seize the state’s funds from its bank accounts. He said that three of such orders that could have hampered the payment of salaries had been overturned, and assured that the rest would be settled gradually.
“I am aware of the mess, the almighty garnishees which are revolving will soon be a thing of the past.”
He also commented on the poor state of infrastructure in his ministry, and said that the state government was taking steps to upgrade the facilities.
