CALABAR, Nigeria – The Cross River State taskforce, responsible for recovering official vehicles, has reported that it has only retrieved 19 vehicles out of the 500 allocated by the previous administration led by Ben Ayade.
Shockingly, only two of the recovered vehicles are serviceable, while the remaining 17 are in a state of disrepair.
Odey Ochicha, the Chairman of the taskforce, revealed these findings on Friday, June 9, 2023, on Let’s Talk Nigeria, a popular radio program on Sparkling FM.
He voiced his concern about the lack of cooperation from the former government officials who are still in possession of the vehicles.
The taskforce is only mandated to recover operational vehicles that were attached to key officials of the previous administration, not the ones given to commissioners or other high-ranking personnel.
However, Ochicha did state that if these individuals haven’t gradually defrayed the costs of their official vehicles, these too would be impounded.
Ochicha warned, “After the deadline issued by the taskforce, we will begin to impound such vehicles, regardless of their location.
We will also carry out raids to recover the vehicles.” He further emphasized that “nobody is above the law,” implying that individuals refusing to return these assets may face legal consequences.
The taskforce has encountered difficulties due to illegally changed plate numbers on these official vehicles.
However, Ochicha assured the public that with the help of experts and security personnel, they can detect such cases.
The chairman also called upon the public to aid the taskforce by providing any information regarding these vehicles and advised against purchasing such vehicles if offered.
The program featured several callers who urged the taskforce not to compromise, while a few wondered if the state, out of gratitude for services rendered, couldn’t afford to let the former officials retain the vehicles.
The taskforce had earlier issued a statement on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, instructing all those in possession of government vehicles to return them to the Governor’s office within 24 hours, failure to which would lead to “further necessary action.”
