Edo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Prof. Yinka Omorogbe, has denied allegations she diverted about N3 billion from donor agencies meant for rehabilitation of deportees from Libya and other countries.
Prof. Omorogbe, who chairs the State Task Force on Human Trafficking and Irregular Migration, described the allegations as fantasy peddled by bored individuals.
The Benin Solidarity Movement (BSM), led by Curtis Ugbo, alleged funds donated to the task force were diverted to NGOs where the attorney-general had interest.
But Omorogbe denied the allegations, saying donor agencies, such as DFID worked with correct processes and structures. She insisted she had nothing to do with the programmes sponsored by the agencies as she do not approve any money.
She said: “I don’t get to see money. There is the Edo Women Development Initiative and it is funded by the trustees. I don’t know where these fallacies come from. You know the devil makes work for idle minds. These allegations are dished out of ignorance.
“We have been assisted in the ministry and in the task force. We get a lot of support. We have a lot of assistance. A bulk of our work support comes from the state government and Governor Godwin Obaseki. We are supported a lot but it does not come from a single penny being given to us. That is what the ignoramuses don’t know.
“We don’t get a penny because foreign donors do not give the government money. I don’t need the money. If I want to do a programme, I just want to get the programme done. The donors pay for everything. We just go and attend. You see my people go for foreign trips because the tickets have been paid for.
“I will not dignify him with a lawsuit. Let him bring the facts. I will not make him a national figure by suing him.”
