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Arase denies returning cars to police, threatens legal action

By Karls Tsokar, Abuja.
24 October 2016   |   1:55 pm
Immediate past Inspector General of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase has denied reports claiming he returned 19 cars allegedly carted away on retirement and threatened to institute legal action if the “embarrassment” does not cease. A statement purportedly signed by the retired IGP said there was no time he took away such a number of cars…

Immediate past Inspector General of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase has denied reports claiming he returned 19 cars allegedly carted away on retirement and threatened to institute legal action if the “embarrassment”
does not cease.

A statement purportedly signed by the retired IGP said there was no time he took away such a number of cars from the Nigerian Police outside what was rightfully his, “so, there couldn’t have been any vehicle recovered from me. If there was any such, those behind this campaign of calumny should please make the number plates of the vehicles public and where they were recovered from.”

In July, the current IGP Ibrahim Idris had told journalists during an interview that his predecessor had taken away 24 exotic cars that he was not supposed to, including the one meant for the IGP.

But Arase reacted by saying all the information needed to verify the whereabouts of the vehicles or clarification on anything for that matter was just a telephone call away, if that which is contained in the handover
notes is insufficient.

A newspaper report on Monday reported that the leadership of the Police Force has taken delivery of 19 assorted cars allegedly taken away by the former IGP when he was retiring. The cars, said to be 24 in number, were
shared between the IGP and members of his management team, the Deputy Inspectors General of Police (DIGs), who retired along with him.

According to the report, the Special Investigation Panel identified and recovered the cars, including sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and pickup vans, from the IGP.

The newspaper report further said the investigation unit is still working on recovering the remaining five (5) vehicles, allegedly in the custody of one of the retired DIGs.

The statement made available to the media reads in part: “It is embarrassing for me to wake up on Monday morning to be inundated with calls and messages on purported 19 vehicles recovered from me. I wish to reassure the general public that there was nothing like that. Like I said in July, I did not take any police vehicle with me outside what I am entitled to, and so, there couldn’t have been any vehicle recovered from me. If there was any such, those behind this campaign of calumny should please make the number plates of the vehicles public and where they were
recovered from.

“Rather than dissipating so much energy on ‘project drag Arase down’, I urge those behind this evil campaign to face their official responsibility for which much is expected from them by the nation. I have done my bit and my own records bear me witness. Let those daily frightened by the shadow of Arase learn to face reality and stop chasing shadows so that they are not hunted by same”, the statement reads.

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