Imo deputy governor collected N458m bribe from contractor - House

The Imo State Deputy Governor, Sir Jude Agbaso, has been accused of collecting N458 million bribe from a contractor handling a road project in the state, J-Pros International Limited.
This revelation was made on Monday by the state House of Assembly in a statement.
The Assembly said this is the reason why it is probing Agbaso and not as a prelude to the 2015 governorship race in the state.
The House, in a statement by the Chairman of the Committee on Information, Hon. Acho Ihim, said the probe of Agbaso began after it was discovered that a road contract being handled by J-Pros International Limited was abandoned by the contractor because the deputy governor, who is also the Commissioner for Works, collected N458 million out of the mobilization fee paid for the contract.
Ihim said when the Managing Director of J-Pros International Limited, Joseph Dina, was invited for questioning by the House, it was found that Agabso indeed collected the money.
The statement said in part: “In the course of Interaction and investigation, J-Pros International Ltd (Mr Joseph Dina -it’s Managing Director) confessed that they abandoned their site because the Deputy Governor, Sir Jude Agbasso demanded and collected the sum of N458 million only from him.”
Ihim said the deputy governor also provided enough evidence that established a “collaboration.”
The statement added: “It is therefore mischievous, sacrilegious and cheap blackmail for anybody or indeed group of persons to try to divert attention from the real issues at stake.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the travails of His Excellency, Sir Jude Agbaso has nothing to do with 2015 rivalry, ethnic or zonal politics and indeed whipping up undue sentiments.”