Osun govt vows to file criminal charges against ex-officials who carted away public vehicles

Osun Osun State Government says it may have to resort to invocation of criminal law to recover vehicles from ex-officials under the administration of Adegboyega Oyetola.

According to spokesperson to Governor Ademola Adeleke, Olawale Rasheed, vehicles worth N3.5 billion have been taken away by ex-officials.

Rasheed said the officials of the previous government who took government vehicles and other properties with them when they left office violated the law.

“What the law provides is the possibility of auctioning off public properties if the need arises for such and such an exercise must pass through due process with the application of auctioning regulations and procedures.

“In this case, there was no auctioning of those vehicles. No tender payment, bidding, and opening exercises. Without any legal foundation, vehicles cumulatively worth about N3.5 billion were shared out. Then, the affected officials admitted and are still laughably justifying illegality bordering on criminal infractions”

Rasheed noted that even worrisome was the lame attempt by those involved in the act to justifying their actions with phantom laws.

“Citing of non-existing law is embarrassing to those affected and the State as a whole. How can learned people be relying on such an illegal foundation instead of immediately returning government vehicles to the pool without further delay?

“As thing stands, the only law that will apply now except the vehicles are returned, relates to criminal theft of public properties and this will be invoked in the next 48 hours.

“Past officials have admitted bolting away with government vehicles. We have detailed records of all missing vehicles and which official is holding them. The Asset Recovery Committee will launch on re-possession and retrieval exercise in line with the stipulations of the law.

“If Oyetola’s administration had done proper handover through coordinated transition, the team would have been saved from the embarrassing scenario of appropriating government properties without any legal basis.

“Just as the past government misgoverned the State probably on false advice, sheer ignorance or deliberate wickedness, its officials went away with government vehicles using tradition as law and exposing themselves and their principal to a criminal trial,” he added.