The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has admitted that two of its personnel were involved in the evacuation of the missing Radio Tower belonging to Media Trust Group.
The tower meant for a newly established radio station by the organisation was decommissioned in a village in Niger State, but curiously disappeared with the suspected connivance of some officials of the security organisation.
The MTG, a Nigerian media conglomerate that owns Daily Trust, Trust Television, Aminiya, and Teen Trust, recently established Trust Radio which has started streaming online and is set to go on the terrestrial platform on 92.7FM band to serve radio listeners in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
However, the formal take-off of Trust Radio on the terrestrial platform has stalled due to the delayed delivery of a radio tower that has been acquired on its behalf by a company called Dynamic Kautal Hore Engineering Company Limited.
The CEO of the contracted company, Engr Bello Magaji, had, since July this year, notified the MTG of the acquisition of the radio tower on its behalf in Maikujeri Village in Kagara Local Government Area of Niger State.
And based on this, Media Trust entered into a formal contractual agreement with Dynamic Kautal Hore and equally advanced to the contractor, the sum of N6.25 million out of the total cost of N12.5 million for the acquisition, decommissioning, transportation, and installation of the tower on its premises in Abuja.
But more than two months after the formal signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two companies and weeks after the expiration of the deadline for delivering on the deal, the tower has yet to be delivered to MTG.
On the 30th of October this year, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Trust Radio, Muhammad Kabir Muhammad, notified the management of MTG of credible information he got that the decommissioned radio tower had been “snatched away” from the contractor by persons suspected to be officials of the NSCDC.
When contacted, Engr Magaji confirmed that some persons had swooped on the equipment and loaded its decommissioned parts into a vehicle, and moved same to Minna, the Niger State capital.
He said he had travelled from Maikujeri Village to Minna to withdraw some money and arrange for a vehicle to convey the tower to Abuja, only for him to be told on the phone, while he was away, that some persons in NSCDC uniform had moved the tower to Minna.
The contractor explained further that he immediately returned to Kagara where he reported the matter to the police, after which he returned to Minna to engage with the Niger State Commandant of the NSCDC, Mr Elijah Etim Willie.
He said he also laid a complaint to the Niger State NSCDC commandant, who informed him that the command would investigate the incident.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Niger State Command’s Public Relations Officer of the Corps, Nasir D. Abdullahi, said the culprits would be fished out.
He said two officers, one serving with the Niger State Command and the other serving with Kaduna State Command were approached by a scrap metal dealer to provide him security cover to transport the items from Maikujeri Rafi LGA of Niger State to Lagos.
“For the record, the tower in question was at a particular location in Maikujeri in Rafi Local Government when a scavenger (Dangwongwan) by name Bello Mustapha approached two of our personnel, one attached to Niger State Command and the other serving with Kaduna State with forged documents to give him back cover to evacuate the items.”
“The command is currently on top of the unfortunate and painful issue; we are on the trail of the Culprits and the officers involved with the aim of bringing them to face the long arm of Justice.
“Already, a total manhunt has been launched by the command on the fleeing culprits and the said Bello Mustapha to bring them to book for thorough investigation to know the involvement of the men of the Command.
“It is also important to note that the National headquarters of the corps under the dynamic leadership of the Commandant General of NSDC Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi mni, OFR. is on top of the matter and has directed for discrete Investigation on the matter to bring those involved in the scandalous matter to book.
“The Niger state Command of the Corps wish to appeal to members of the public and the media to continue to keep their faith and hope on the command under the leadership of the state Commandant Comdt Elijah Etim Willie PhD. as he will not for any reasons allow the matter to be swept under the carpet without bringing those involved to book.
“The command is doing everything within the ambit of the act establishing the NSCDC in making sure that the law will take its full course on the matter,” the statement read.
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