The Benue State House of Assembly has officially denied passing a bill to prohibit love and romance within the state, labeling the widely circulated reports as “fake news.”
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Alfred Berger, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, urged the public to disregard the social media speculation, stating that no such bill was ever considered or debated by the lawmakers.
He described the supposed legislative document as a fabrication, saying its language and style were inconsistent with the assembly’s official legislative process.
“The claim is a fabrication and the product of the author’s imagination,” Berger stated, emphasizing that the assembly had not even contemplated such a measure.
In a related development, Berger commended Governor Hyacinth Alia for acting on the assembly’s recommendations to suspend several government officials. The assembly had previously recommended a six-month suspension for three officials:
Grace Adagba, Chairperson of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB)
Maxwell Ogiri, Chairperson of Otukpo Local Government Area
Michael Uper, Executive Secretary of the Benue State Lottery Commission.
While the governor reduced the suspension period to one month for each official, Berger noted that the assembly’s primary concern was for the officials to vacate their offices during the ongoing investigations, regardless of the suspension’s duration.
