Benue State Governor, Mr. Samuel Ortom, yesterday charged the contractor handling the construction of the Aliade- Obarike-Ito road to resume work within two weeks or risk being handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

He gave the charge when major stakeholders from Oju and Obi local government areas, which make up the Igede nation, visited him at the New Banquet Hall of Government House, Makurdi.

Ortom said contract for the construction of the road was awarded by the previous administration, and N800 million paid but that the money was diverted resulting in non-performance of the contractor.

According to him, he had directed the contractor to find a way of retrieving the money from those who diverted it and use it to resume work on the road or risk being handed over to the antigraft agency.

He announced that his administration had released N500 million to the contractor handling the Oju- Utonkon Road and similar amounts from the N10 billion infrastructure loan to several others for them to resume work on abandoned roads.

The governor restated the commitment of his administration to completing ongoing roads, electricity and water projects across the state, adding that those not captured in this year’s budget would be taken care of subsequently.