Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi has ordered the arrest and prosecution of six state Ministry of Health members of staff for allegedly diverting materials meant for the ministry.

Mr Nwifuru, in a statement by his chief press secretary, Monday Uzor, on Sunday, ordered the arrest of one Ndukwe Ayansi and five others over the issue.

The statement indicated that the governor, while inspecting projects, sighted an articulated vehicle loading registers, books and other materials from the Ministry of Health’s warehouse.

“Nwifuru stopped and made inquiries but was not satisfied with the answers given to him.

“The governor probed further and discovered that patients’ data registers, cards and other documents were being moved into the vehicle.

“He also discovered that all the documents had been sold without government approval,” Mr Uzor said.

According to him, the governor described the action as sabotaging the government’s efforts to reposition the health sector.

“You are selling government documents without approval on a Saturday afternoon.

“The state’s hospitals in the rural areas need registers, data entry forms, and hospital cards. Unfortunately, you are selling the ones produced by the government,” he said.

Mr Uzor further said the suspects had been handed over to the police while the investigation continued.

(NAN)