Relevant anti corruption agencies may soon be on their way to the troubled city of Maiduguri the Borno state capital to investigate and possibly prosecute some government officials who diverted 159 government vehicles .
The said vehicles which includes trucks and earth moving equipment were among vehicles purported to have been recently auctioned but 159 vehicles were giving out as gift to politicians who are close to governor Kashim Shettima.
Poiintblanknews.com gathered that though some vehicles was actually under valued and auctioned ” but 159 were given to politicians as gifts in readiness for 2015 elections” a source said.
Even though some people believed that governor shettima must have directed for some of the vehicles to be given out as gift, a very close aid to the governor who claimed to be aware of the deal said his boss is not in any way connected with the diversion of 159 vehicles.
” I can tell you with all sense of sincerity that governor Kashim Shettima is not aware of all these mess. I am aware he set up a committee to auction some used vehicles but had no time directed for 159 vehicles be given to politicians . I think the committee members must be held responsible for the diversion and not the governor” Shettima’s aid said.
The cat was let out of the bag when one angry Alhaji Ali Shuwa, an agent who assisted the government to sell the used vehicles blew the alarm that a top civil servant and official of governor Shettima’s auction committee allegedly duped him of his N5 million.
Ali Shuwa had requested to buy some ten “unserviceable” fire fighting trucks belonging to Borno state government through the auction committee who demanded N750,000 for each of them.
A total of N7.5 million was said to have been agreed by Mr Shuwa to be paid to the committee for the fire fighting trucks . But instead of allowing Shuwa to pay all the money to Borno state government relevant account, the auction committee secretary , Engr Usman Mari requested Shuwa to pay only N250, 000 for each of the trucks into government account while the balance of N500, 000 on each of the ten trucks, totalling N5 million be paid into Engr Mari’s personal account.
The dirty deal was sealed,as the ten fire fighting trucks were criminally undervalued, to fraudulently enrich the committee members at the expense of the good people of Borno State.
As it stands, pointblanknews.com gathered. that some members of the committee and all those involve in the dirty deal are said to be running from piller to post with the sole aim of sweeping the dirts under the carpet.