Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has directed the arrest and prosecution of Ndukwe Ayansi and five others for allegedly diverting materials intended for the state’s Ministry of Health.
The directive was announced on Sunday in a statement issued by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Monday Uzor, and obtained by The Telegraph.
According to Uzor, the governor made the discovery while on a routine inspection of ongoing projects. He reportedly observed a Toyota mini truck loading various materials, including registers, books, and other documents, from the Ministry of Health’s warehouse at Ochudo Centenary City in Abakaliki, the state capital.
Upon further inquiry, Governor Nwifuru was reportedly dissatisfied with the explanations provided and decided to probe deeper. It was then that he uncovered that critical health documents, including patient data registers and medical cards, were being loaded into the vehicle.
The governor condemned the act as an attempt to undermine efforts to improve the state’s health sector, describing the unauthorized sale of these materials as a serious sabotage. He expressed concern that essential resources meant for hospitals in rural areas were being diverted, leaving health facilities without vital supplies.
“You are selling government documents without approval on a Saturday afternoon,” Governor Nwifuru remarked. “Our rural hospitals are in desperate need of registers, data entry forms, and hospital cards. Unfortunately, the materials the government has produced are being sold off instead.”
The suspects have been arrested by the police, and an investigation is ongoing.
