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Bauchi Ex-Governor Allegedly Sold ₦150m Armoured SUV To Himself For ₦7.8m
Bauchi Ex-Governor Sold ₦150m Armoured SUV To Himself For ₦7.8m…
The Bauchi State Government Funds and Assets Recovery Committee has alleged that the immediate past governor, Mohammed Abubakar, sold seven luxury government vehicles to himself for just ₦19,877,275 shortly before leaving the office on May 29th.
According to the Public Relations Officer 1 of the Committee, Alhaji Umar Ningi, he alleged that one of the seven luxury cars that Bauchi Ex-governor sold to himself. An armoured Toyota Landcruiser SUV worth ₦150m, with chassis number JTMHX09J9F4089580, was auctioned at the cost of ₦7.8m.
“This is a car you can get for about ₦150m, but the former governor, Mohammed Abubakar, sold it to himself for just ₦7.8m,”
“Other vehicles includes a Toyota Landcruiser V8 with chassis number JTMHX09J8D4050814, sold at ₦2.8m; Toyota Hilux, with chassis number MROFX22G2F1436641, sold at the cost of ₦1.05m; and a Toyota Hilux, with chassis number MROFX22G701415100, sold at ₦1.05m.”
“Others are a Range Rover SUV with chassis number SALWA2VF3EA366819, sold at the cost of ₦2.9m, a Range Rover SUV with chassis number SALLSAAD4DA800170, sold at the cost of ₦2.1m, and a Range Rover SUV with chassis number SALLSAAD4DA81373, sold at the cost of ₦2.1m.”
He also added that the committee has recovered 15 out of the 30 exotic cars that were carted away by officials of the last administration. The remaining cars are being traced.
Ningi said the act was in violation of the provisions of the Bauchi State Budget Monitoring. Price Intelligence and Public Procurement Law (2008).
In a swift reaction, the former Special Adviser to Abubakar, Ali M. Ali, in a media statement to journalists via WhatsApp on Friday, justified the actions of his boss.
Ali said it was lawful for any government official to purchase any vehicle that had been used for more than three years.
He said:
“Our attention has been drawn to the rehash of the several ‘sins’ of former Governor of Bauchi State, Mohammed Abubakar while in office and presented as ‘fresh’ evidence of his corruption and abuse of office.”
“These are gross distortions. The law provides that users of government vehicles that have been in use for upwards of three years are at liberty to purchase them.”
“The vehicles in question have been in use for more than four years. The law provides that they can be sold at 10 per cent of the book value. It is, therefore, perplexing that the committee is alleging foul play here.”
“As a matter of fact, the Hilux vehicles that constituted the former governor’s convoy had engine change due to wear and tear associated with convoy duties.”
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