Former Benue State Commissioner for Water Resources, Environment, and Climate Change, Hon. Odoh Ugwu, has strongly refuted allegations linking him to an ongoing Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigation concerning a purported financial scandal involving school feeding programme vendors.
Ugwu, through his legal team at Olajide Oyewole LLP, dismissed the report published by Nigerian Concord News on August 1, 2025, as entirely false and defamatory.
The controversial publication, titled “Sacked Benue Commissioner in Financial Scandal as Food Vendors Run to EFCC,” had accused Ugwu of collecting ₦30,000 from certain food vendors associated with the school feeding scheme.
However, in a formal legal notice addressed to the media outlet, Ugwu’s legal representative, Ismaila Shaib Usman, described the report as malicious and baseless, designed solely to tarnish his client’s reputation.
The notice clarified that Ugwu never had any supervisory role over the school feeding programme, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management.
It further stated that the former commissioner has never been summoned or investigated by the EFCC or any other security agency regarding any alleged financial misconduct.
Odoh Ugwu’s legal team argued that the publication had inflicted severe reputational harm, subjecting him to public ridicule, emotional distress, and potential damage to his political and professional standing.
“The false claims in your report have not only exposed our client to societal scorn but have also significantly undermined his political and business credibility in Benue State and beyond,” the notice read.
Demanding redress, Odoh Ugwu has called for an immediate retraction of the story, a public apology published on the outlet’s platform and in five national newspapers, and ₦1 billion in compensation for damages.
The legal notice warned that failure to comply within the stipulated timeframe would result in legal proceedings for both civil and criminal defamation.
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cc: Daily Post Ng
