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Plateau Government Moves to Complete Mushere Bridge, Address Insecurity in Bokkos
A high-powered delegation from the Plateau State Government and House of Assembly has visited Mushere Chiefdom in Bokkos Local Government Area, pledging urgent completion of the long-abandoned Mushere Bridge and intensified action against rising insecurity in the region.
The visit followed recent bandit attacks that claimed lives and displaced residents. Acting on the directive of Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, the delegation was led by Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Naanlong Daniel Gapyil, and the Governor’s Special Adviser on Security, Brig-Gen. Gakji Shipi (rtd).
Inspecting the Mushere Bridge – a critical link between several communities – the team ordered the contractor to resume work immediately, with reconstruction scheduled to begin on Monday, August 11, 2025. The project, first initiated as a constituency initiative by former Governor and Senator Joshua Dariye, has remained incomplete for years.
Speaker Gapyil conveyed the Governor’s concern for affected communities, describing the bridge as a strategic security asset.
“This project demands urgent attention. Once completed, it will enable security agencies to respond swiftly to emergencies and protect lives and property. We have a listening governor who understands the urgency, and work will resume without delay,” he said.
He further called on security agencies to strengthen their constitutional responsibilities while assuring residents that the Assembly would provide strict oversight to ensure both safety and development.
Chairman of Bokkos LGA, Hon. Amalau Samuel, confirmed that all necessary materials were already on site and that the contractor would mobilize on Monday. He praised Governor Mutfwang for his “unwavering commitment” to safeguarding the area from criminal incursions.
National President of the Mushere Chiefdom Development Association, Mr. Michael Terfok Yilkes, commended the Governor’s swift intervention. He stressed that the bridge’s completion would connect Margif with Komur, Mbor, and other communities, improving mobility and boosting economic activity. He also urged the Federal Government to step up operations to flush out bandits allegedly crossing from neighboring Nasarawa State.
Governor Mutfwang had personally visited Mushere on June 22, 2025, after one of the deadliest attacks in the area, promising the bridge’s completion and renewed focus on restoring lasting peace to Bokkos and surrounding communities.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday f2026 arraigned Mr. Ahmed Adamu Dikko, former Managing Director of Port Harcourt Refining Company Ltd (PHRC), before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on a 12-count charge bordering on money laundering.
The charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/360/2026 and dated and filed on June 22 by the Commission’s counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, listed Dikko and Masterpiece Projects & Investment Limited as first and second defendants respectively.
Dikko, who led the Port Harcourt Refining Company for about four years, pleaded not guilty to a 12-count charge filed against him by the Commission on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
The EFCC accused Dikko of laundering N1,322,839,112.7 (One Billion, Three Hundred and Twenty-Two Million, Eight Hundred and Thirty-nine Thousand, One Hundred and Twelve Naira, Seven Kobo) in proceeds allegedly linked to contractors engaged by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery, through cash property purchases, undisclosed bank retentions, third-party fund concealment and unauthorised currency conversion, in violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Count one reads in part: “That you AHMED ADAMU DIKKO… did directly make cash payment of the dollar equivalent of the sum of N218,375,000.00 to one Hadeija Bashir for the purchase of Plot 558, Abubakar Umar Street, Katampe Extension, Abuja without passing through a financial Institution and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 2(1)(a), 19(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 19(2)(b) of the same Act.”
Count eight reads: “That you AHMED ADAMU DIKKO, former Managing Director of the Port Harcourt Refining Company Ltd (PHRC) on or about the 26th of June, 2023 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court disguised the origin of the sum of N328,710,337.50 (Three Hundred and Twenty Eight Million, Seven Hundred and Ten Thousand, Three Hundred and Thirty Seven Naira, Fifty Kobo) paid into the GTBank Account Plc No. 0123201507 operated by Masterpiece Projects & Investment Limited by OMSA Integrated Services Limited from the transactions involving NNPC Limited allocation of Vacuum Gas Oil for export when you knew that the said sum of N328,710,337.50 constituted proceeds of unlawful activity and you thereby committed an offence contrary Section 18(2) (a) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
Count eleven reads: “That you AHMED ADAMU DIKKO between October, 2022 and May, 2025 did convert the aggregate sum of $77,080 through Ibrahim Isa Yaro which amount did not form part of your known lawful earnings as a former public officer with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act.”
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to him.
Thereafter, counsel to the defendant, Okechukwu Ajunwa, SAN urged the court to grant the defendant bail pending the determination of the suit. Iheanacho, however, opposed the bail application.
In his ruling on the bail application, Justice Ekwo granted the defendant bail in the sum of N150,000,000 (One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira) with a surety who must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court and with a landed property valued at not less than the bail sum. He ordered that the defendant be remanded in the custody of the EFCC pending when he’s able to meet the bail conditions.
The matter was therefore adjourned to October 12, 13 and 14, 2026 for trial.
The post EFCC Arraigns Former MD Of Port Harcourt Refinery for Alleged N1.32bn Money Laundering appeared first on Business Today NG.
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