KOSOFE CDC CHAIRMAN, SEGUN BABATUNDE, UNDER POLICE INVESTIGATION OVER THE SALE OF OWORO COMMUNITY VEHICLE
* CDC Chairman Allegedly Sold Vehicle N150,000 For Scrap
*Kosofe Council Engineer Denies Issuing Authorisation
*Oworo Joint CDA Treasurer Denies Involvement, Says CDA's Account Was Not Credited
The CDC Chairman of Kosofe Local Government Area, Mr. Segun Babatunde is once again enmeshed in another controversial sale of community property. This time round the CDA chairman and some executive members of Oworonshoki Joint CDA are being investigated by the the Zone II Police Command Headquarters, Onikan over the alleged sale of a vehicle belonging to Oworonshoki community without following due process.
On Monday, Mr Babatunde who is also Senior Special Assistant on Community Affairs to the executive chairman of Kosofe Local Government, was at the Zone II Police Command Headquarters, Onikan to answer questions pertaining to the sale of Oworonshoki CDA Community Security vehicle.
The CDC Chairman and some members of Oworonshoki Joint CDA were alleged to have sold a Nissan Pickup security vehicle to a scrap dealer at Owode-Oniri in October at a price of N150,000.
Kosofe Reporters gathered that the proceeds from the sale of the vehicle were not, however, remitted into the Joint CDA account of the community more than two months after it was sold off nor was the treasurer of the Joint CDA aware of the transaction.
The controversial sale of the vehicle had made some residents of the community who spotted the vehicle where it was parked somewhere at Owode Oniri before it was sold off by the scrap dealer, lodged serious complaints to the traditional ruler of the Kingdom, Oba Babatunde Saliu.
When the King asked the CDC Chairman about the whereabouts of the vehicle, it was reported that the CDC Chairman told the King that the vehicle had been sold for scrap to a scrap dealer at Owode at the price of N150,000 and that he got authorisation from the council Engineer Mrs. Funmilayo Adesanya.
Oba Babatunde Saliu, it was reported, instantly told the CDC Chairman to come and get the N150,000 from him and return the vehicle to the community.
But when Kosofe Reporters contacted the Council Engineer, she vehemently denied authorising the CDC Chairman to sale the vehicle.
" I don't know anything about the vehicle. I didn't give any authorisation to Mr. Segun Babatunde", Mrs. Adesanya retorted.
An investigation by Kosofe Reporters, however, showed that, contrary to the statement made by the CDC chairman that the vehicle was not in good condition before it was sold for scrap, the vehicle was in good condition and was resold to a farmer in Ijebu-ode by the scrap dealer.
In video and voice clips made available to Kosofe Reporters by prominent leaders of Oworonshoki community who had approached the Scrap dealer under the pretence they wanted to buy the vehicle once parked in front of his shop few weeks ago, the scrap dealer told the community leaders that he bought the vehicle from a CDA in Kosofe Local Government and that he had sold it to a farmer in Ijebu-Ode.
He further disclosed that he actually drove the vehicle from Kosofe Local Government Secretariat where he came to pick it up, down to his workshop at Owode Oniri.
He, however, did not disclose the actual amount he bought the vehicle from the CDA nor the amount he sold it to the farmer in Ijebu-ode.
But when he was asked about the price of a similar vehicle seen in his workshop, he said it was N2.4m and that it was better than the one he sold.
Similarly, the treasurer of Oworonshoki Joint CDA, Elder Samuel Omowo, has also denied any involvement in the controversial sale of the vehicle belonging to the community.
Elder Omowo told our correspondent that as of January 10, 2023 the account of the Joint CDA was yet to be credited following the sale of community vehicle in October.
He noted that although the Joint CDA had a meeting sometime in October where the sale of the vehicle was mooted. But after the vehicle was sold, he was neither informed nor was there any money given to him to deposit into Joint CDA's account.
"Sometime in October 2022, the sale of the vehicle was proposed at our joint CDA meeting.
"But when the vehicle was finally sold, I was neither informed nor any money given to me to be deposited in the Joint CDA's account in regard to the sale of the vehicle.
"We have had two meetings after the vehicle was sold, one in November and the other in December, the sale of the vehicle was never discussed.
"And as I am talking to you, no money has been deposited into the account of the Joint CDA in regard to the sale", Elder Omowo explained.
Meanwhile, the paramount traditional ruler of Oworonshoki Kingdom, Oba Babatunde Saliu and members of Oworonshoki security committee have been asked by the Zone II Police Headquarters to appear before it on Wednesday in continuation of the investigation into the controversial sale of the Oworonshoki community vehicle.
Comments
Post a Comment