Abolade Sokunbi in Abeokuta.
The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a driver, Oluwaseyi Oyetunde, and two business men, Segun Oluwaseun and Chijoke Ogbu over the diversion of goods valued at N4.7million belonging to a company in Lagos.
The arrest was contained in a press statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi and made available to THIS DAY n Abeokuta, yesterday.
The release stated that the suspects were arrested following a report made at Agbara Divisional Headquarters by one Oluwatosin Ayodeji who reported that one Oluwaseyi Oyetunde, a driver to the company loaded goods worth N4.7 million which was supposed to be delivered to a customer in Lagos, but since that day, the 24th of August 2021, the said driver had absconded with the goods and the truck.
“Upon the report, the DPO Agbara Division, SP Saleh Dahiru detailed his crack detectives to unravel the mystery behind the sudden disappearance of the driver and the goods.
“The team embarked on intelligence-based investigation and traced the driver and the truck to Lagos State where he was promptly arrested with the empty truck.
“On interrogation, the driver confessed that he diverted the goods to another buyers who bought the goods from him at a give-away price.
“His confession led the policemen to the shops of the two receivers Segun Oluwaseun and Chijeoke Ogbu, where parts of the stolen goods were recovered and the two receivers arrested”, the statement reads
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police CP Edward Awolowo Ajogun, has ordered a full investigation into the case with a view to recovering the remaining stolen goods, and charge the suspects to court for prosecution.
Surveyor General Denies Allegations of Graft in N302m Contracts
Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
The Surveyor General of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Samuel Taiwo, has denied involvement in any act of impropriety over the award of Right of Way (RoW) contracts at N302 million.
Taiwo said yesterday that the projects were executed as on-going projects under the supervision of the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN).
He dismissed allegations of graft and impropriety leveled against him and officials of the extra-ministerial department.
Speaking with newsmen in his office in Abuja over petitions filed against him at the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offence Commission, (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Taiwo said he had paid his dues as a committed and forthright civil servant for more than 33 years.
The petitions, which were filed against him by Al-Mahdi and Co. Mallittafi Chambers, Abuja, was copied to the Minister of Works and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
He asserted that he had done nothing wrong since his appointment in 2019.
“Let me tell you, since I was appointed, it had been petitions upon petitions. Some people even petitioned that I wanted to tamper with my age. Yet, the good thing is that our achievements here have put this department in positive reckoning,” he said.
The surveyor general said that there was no iota of truth in the allegations contained in the petitions, stressing that he had not committed any infractions by executing projects that were appropriated for in the budget for the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation.
The petitions, were, however, raised from auditor’s queries on projects executed by the agency some of which pre-dated his appointment.
It was also discovered that the procurement officer, who signed some of the contracts in question passed away early in the year.
The RoW contracts were said to be ongoing in some parts of the country.
Highlights of the petitions were payment of N10 million as rent to Surveyor Council of the Federation, awards and execution of N302 million Right of Way contract without passing through due process and award of N92 million contract to companies not qualified for the jobs, among others.
The petitions were signed by Mr. Emeka Nwabuchie, and sent to the anti-graft agencies as well as the supervising minister and the Head of Service of the Federation.
Taiwo said he was ready to defend himself in any court as he had nothing to hide.
He said the presence of all his directors and other staff at the briefing was testimony that the operations of the agency under him were transparent and in the best interest of the country.
