The police in Benue State have arrested a permanent secretary and two directors in a ministry in the state in connection with a missing transformer belonging to the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JED) in Makurdi, the state capital.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Catherine Anene, confirmed the arrest to our correspondent in Makurdi, saying the suspects were brought to the command on Tuesday.
Anene, however, did not disclose the identities of the suspects, saying she had not been briefed about the details of the matter at the time of filing this report.
But Dr Adakole Elijah, the Head, Corporate Communications of JED, identified those arrested as a permanent secretary of a ministry in the state and two directors, adding that they were still in the police custody.
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Elijah said, “What actually happened was that, one of our transformers was missing and we discovered it missing on July 6, 2024. We launched investigation into the matter and we discovered that the transformer was removed by people in a daylight.
“They even went with hardwares and even did sand filling for them to enter and picked the transformer. So, along the line, one security man confirmed that, yes, he was the one that assisted them to remove the transformer.
“So that was how we commenced investigation and eventually one of the government officials was arrested and confirmed that yes, he took the transformer, that the transformer is in his house.
“When the issue became serious as we were pushing, he too was pushing so that it would become a state government matter so that they would cover the whole thing and push it to the Ministry of Cooperation and Rural Development.
“The transformer was removed from industrial area of Makurdi. So, along the line the police (IPO) that was carrying out the investigation with one other police officer, went with a crane with our men to pick or recover the transformer from the ministry back to the police station where the case is being handled, but the directors at the ministry resisted.
“I advised the regional manager to try and see the commissioner. When the commissioner came, she said no, that she would not allow them to carry the transformer. Instead, they even locked the gate and didn’t allow anybody to come in. So we have to reach out to the Commissioner of Police who mobilised and sent reinforcement to go and bring the transformer. They have recovered the transformer back to the police headquarters.
“So, the persons arrested were the permanent secretary of the ministry and two directors. They are still at the police custody.”
The JED spokesperson maintained that the suspects ought to have been arraigned on Wednesday but alleged that the government had shown interest in the matter because a permanent secretary and two directors were involved.
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