Benue Assembly is invaded by thugs, and MPs reject Ortom's pension bill
On Thursday, political thugs occupied the Makurdi facility housing the Benue State House of Assembly and harassed some MPs.
According to a single source, the parliamentarians protested unpaid overhead expenses and six months of salaries by calling for a suspension of plenary.
The contentious executive pension bill, introduced by the departing governor, Samuel Ortom, intending to grant ex-governors and their deputies gratuity, pensions, and other benefits, was impacted by the suspension of sitting.
On May 9, a state House of Assembly member who spoke directly to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity stated, "As I speak to you, we parliamentarians have not received our income for December 2022, let alone that for January, February, March, or April of this year. It has now been six months. Do you realize that the House also owes three months' worth of overhead? We have therefore declined to work on the pension measure. Members have ceased meeting while awaiting payment of all due emoluments.
It was reported that on Thursday, the suspected political thugs invaded the Assembly complex as early as 8am and took control of the facility's security.
"My vehicle was not vandalized, but I was penciled down to be harassed," said Terkaa Ucha, a member from the Tiev state constituency, "but I got the information and ran for my life."
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