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From Scholastica Onyeka, Makurdi
The Assets Recovery Committee set up by the Benue State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, said it has recovered 48 government vehicles taken away by the immediate past administration of Governor Samuel Ortom and some of his officials.
Alia had, on June 16, constituted a committee to recover vehicles and landed property that was illegally taken away from by officials of the immediate past government.
Speaking to newsmen in Makurdi, Chairman of the Committee, Hinga Biem, said the committee sent notices of demand to 36 other officeholders of the past administration to return government property in their possession.
He said “So far, we recovered 48 vehicles. We have also sent demand notices to 36 officeholders. We will be announcing their names in due course.”
Biem said among the vehicles recovered were three tractors while five of the vehicles were willingly returned by the public officials in possession of them.
He also noted that while the committee had taken possession of 32 vehicles from the alleged former Governor Ortom’s workshop, only one person had come forward with car papers to claim ownership of his vehicles.
He also stated that amongst the ones in the committee’s custody, two persons had called the committee on the phone but are yet to come up with documents to ascertain their claims.
The chairman however insisted that the exercise was not a witch hunt as portrayed by those affected.
According to him, all utility vehicles in the service were either waived or auctioned by the past administration who took them away.
