Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has ordered former Lobi Stars Football Club vice chairman Dominic Iorfa to refund a total of ₦1.8 billion following a forensic audit that uncovered significant financial discrepancies at the club, La Palabras reports.
The audit, which covered the period from January 2020 to September 2024, revealed that Lobi Stars accrued ₦3.76bn in revenue during the specified period.
However, only ₦1.31bn was accounted for, leaving a shortfall of ₦2.45bn. Iorfa, who served as vice chairman from 2022 to 2024, is responsible for ₦1.4bn of this sum, covering the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 periods.
His team must return ₦692.45 million for 2022-2023 and ₦702.88 million for 2023-2024, along with additional funds totaling ₦371.41 million for the 2024-2025 period.
The forensic investigation was launched by Governor Alia in October 2024, with a committee headed by San-Chir-Igba Donatus tasked with auditing the club’s financial records.
The report, submitted on November 24, 2024, revealed significant mismanagement during Iorfa’s tenure, prompting the refund order.
According to a release signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sir Tersoo Kula, MNIPR, former vice chairmen Mike Idoko and Emmanuel Taman, who served earlier, have also been ordered to refund substantial sums for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 periods.
Idoko must repay ₦243.96m, while Taman is accountable for ₦434.32m.
The audit report also included recommendations for the club’s future operations, urging that Lobi Stars be registered as a full company to improve its revenue generation.
Additionally, it suggested that sponsorship funds be directly deposited into the club’s account and that the Ministry of Sports cease involvement in the club’s daily management, advocating for greater independence.
The committee revealed that all parties involved in financial transactions with the club had been given the opportunity for a fair hearing.
