In a shocking revelation, the Sokoto State Committee for the Review of Wasteful and Unnecessary Government Assets exposed on Thursday that appointees of the immediate past governor, Aminu Tambuwal, made off with no fewer than 745 government vehicles.
According to the committee, only 32 of the vehicles have been recovered, while a disturbing revelation emerged that 40 of them were smuggled into Niger Republic.
The committee’s chairman, Alhaji Jelani Kalgo, presented these findings to Governor Ahmed Aliyu on Thursday.
Kalgo disclosed that the committee also uncovered a case where a government property was sold for N60m, but only N30m was remitted, raising concerns about financial discrepancies.
He stated, “Three hundred and two vehicles were in the possession of former commissioners, special advisers, and chief executives, while 443 were under the control of local government areas.
Shockingly, about 40 vehicles were leased to private individuals and taken beyond the boundaries of the local government areas, some even reaching as far as Niger Republic.”
The misappropriated vehicles included six graders, six payloaders, three rollers, nine tippers, four water tankers, and two fire service tankers, among others, intensifying the gravity of the situation.
“We have recovered 32 vehicles from former government officials, but sadly, 70% of the 443 vehicles in the local government areas were found grounded,” Kalgo added, attributing the challenges in vehicle recovery to a shortage of funds.
Governor Aliyu expressed gratitude to the committee, assuring them that the government would thoroughly study the report and take necessary actions.
Efforts to obtain comments from the immediate Commissioner for Information, Akibu Dalhatu, were unsuccessful as of Thursday evening.
Similarly, calls made to the ex-governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Mohammed Bello, remained unanswered at press time.
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