Documented cases of fraud, corruption, and financial misconduct by Cross River State government officials and agencies during the 2023–present term. Sources linked on each card.
2
Total cases
0
Convicted
1
Ongoing
0
Dismissed
Govt response:
Ongoingacknowledged
Allegation
In November 2025, Governor Otu ordered the immediate suspension of the Local Government Service Commission recruitment exercise following findings of allegations of corruption, gross abuse of office, and widespread employment racketeering. Residents had raised concerns over the alleged monetisation of job slots and lack of transparency.
Outcome / Status
The governor accepted the resignation of the commission's chairman, Darlington Eyo, over his alleged involvement. A five-man panel of inquiry was constituted to investigate the allegations, scrutinise the actual payroll across the 18 LGAs, and recommend disciplinary actions. The governor directed that a new transparent, merit-based recruitment process be undertaken.
Administration's response
Governor Otu described the suspension as part of immediate measures to restore public confidence and reaffirmed his administration's zero tolerance for corruption. He stated that 'no act of impunity or abuse of office would be tolerated' and that future recruitment would be strictly merit-based. A second suspension was ordered in April 2026 amid fresh fraud allegations.
resolvedacknowledged
Allegation
An audit of the state and local government pension payrolls uncovered over 2,000 ghost pensioners who had been receiving payments fraudulently, contributing to the state's bloated wage bill and delaying payments to genuine retirees.
Outcome / Status
The ghost pensioners were expunged from both the State and Local Government Pensions Payrolls. The administration stated that the audit was a precondition for commencing the ₦10 billion gratuity payment to genuine retirees.
Administration's response
The state government publicized the audit findings as evidence of its commitment to transparency and fiscal reform, using the discovery to justify the delay in gratuity payments and to implement stricter payroll verification systems.