The Oyo State Government has confirmed the recovery of 14 vehicles allegedly taken away by officials of the Abiola Ajimobi administration. The recover
The Oyo State Government has confirmed the recovery of 14 vehicles allegedly taken away by officials of the Abiola Ajimobi administration. The recovery followed the expiration of the ultimatum Governor Seyi Makinde gave officials of the last administration. Former Governor Abiola Ajimobi and his aides were alleged to have emptied the state’s transport pool, while the former governor accused Makinde of pursuing a ‘mundane issue’ in the face of taxing governance ahead.
The Chief Press Secretary to Makinde, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, confirmed the recovery of the vehicles. Adisa said 13 of the recovered vehicles had been vandalised, while only one was in good condition. He said, “Some of the vehicles were retrieved from mechanics, while others were recovered from some residences, and one abandoned close to Agodi Government House. We made phone calls to some officials in custody of government vehicles, after their phone numbers were supplied.
“Some of them responded and gave address of locations where the vehicles were recovered. Some were in the mechanic workshops, others were tracked with tracking devices and recovered. Surprisingly, too, one was parked and abandoned at a road near Agodi Government House where security agents were alerted. They went there to tow it to the Government House. Thirteen of the recovered vehicles are not working, as they had been vandalised, one way or the other. They completely ran them down for reasons best known to them.”
He, however, noted that the number recovered was a far cry from those taken away.
“If just an official made away with 11 vehicles, you can imagine how many are still in their possession. Investigation is still on to ascertain the (number of) vehicles bought in the last one year and which are still missing. And there is no record of payment for those either purchased or boarded by the said officials. They can be accused of car theft, especially if they are in custody of a vehicle without receipt of purchase,” Adisa added.
