The State Government today dismissed reports that N100 million meant for payment of casual workers in the state was carted away by armed robbers.
Reports had claimed yesterday that gunmen suspected to be armed robbers waylaid officials of the state’s Ministry of Finance, Budget, and Planning and took away N100million.
The hoodlums, according to the reports, trailed officials of the ministry from a commercial bank in Lafia where they withdrew cash to pay workers before attacking them.
But Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism, Dogo Shammah, who reacted to the reports in a statement in Lafia confirmed that N11.7 million was carted away by armed robbers.
Shammah said the money was meant to host a team from the Revenue, Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) expected to visit the state.
He said part of the money was also earmarked for furnishing and refurbishing of some offices and vehicles in the Government House.
The commissioner said: “The gunmen trailed officials of the state’s Ministry of Finance, Budget, and Planning after making a withdrawal at a second generation bank along Lafia-Jos road.
“They shot sporadically on getting to the ministry’s premises and took the money away.”
Shammah said the incident had been reported to security agencies in the state.