By Onyekachi Eze
An appointee of the administration of Governor Hope Uzodinma, who hails from Oguta Local Government Area, Imo State has been accused of theft and unruly behavior.
The appointee (names withheld) was accused of carting away iron rods used in the construction of the link road of Ezi-Orsu Community, and Opuoma in Oguta and Ohaji/Egbema LGAs, respectively.
This was contained in a press release signed by the Member, representing Oguta State Constituency in Imo State House of Assembly, Hon. Barr. Frank Ugboma.
The accused was said to have carted away the rods used in constructing the link bridge, as built by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing.
Although the name of the accused was yet to be made public by the Lawmaker, it was alleged that the appointee when intercepted claimed he had a permit to do so.
Irked by the incident, Hon Ugboma didn’t only demand that all stolen items be returned with immediate effect, or, the perpetrators would be charged to Court for theft of Public property.
“Permit me to, by this release, bring to the fore and to the notice of the whole world the voracious, gluttonous, ravenous stealing of the iron bars and it’s components constituting the entire bridge linking Ezi-Orsu Community of Oguta Local Government Area and Opuoma Community of Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State by a Governors appointee”.
Elaborating on the relevance of the bridge, the Lawmaker asserts, “It is on record that this very bridge was constructed by the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to ease the long suffering of the masses and enhance communal integration, farming and economic viability of the masses for the overall good of the State;
“But this very appluadable gesture by the Federal Ministry of Works has now been stolen by the ravenous appointee to the detriment of the masses, and even to the people he was appointed to oversee their affairs in the interim.
“At the time of this release, that good will of the Federal Ministry of Works exemplified in that Link Bridge is no longer there. The link bridge has been removed and stolen, and despite all efforts to bring to justice the perpetrators of this evil crime, the law is yet to take it’s cause, allowing them to roam about freely. Despite all the evidence at the disposal of the law enforcement agents; the interception by the Nigerian Police while this bridge was being carted away wherein the custodians of this bridge displayed a document duly signed by the appointee empowering them to cart away the said bridge”.
The Press release further hinted, “Secondly, the admission of the perpetrators before the DSS on whose instruction the act was carried out, and how the proceed of the loot was shared amongst them. Thirdly, admission / confession before the DSS by the Director of Works of Oguta Local Government, stating how the money gotten from the loot of the bridge was shared and how much the appointee got from the stolen bridge, collaborating the statement of the perpetrators on how much returns was made to the Governors appointee;
“And it is no longer news that even the destruction and stealing of various NITEL facilities in Oguta town and the sudden release of all the arrested urchins have continued to suspiciously hinge on the same person, whose duty ordinarily is to protect Government Investments in his Local Government Area. One would have thought that the very essence of the Governors appointee was to improve the lot of the various Communities that are in search of urgent development in Oguta LGA”.
“It is regrettable that a man in leadership position is rather the one destroying and stealing government properties in his domain;
“Destruction and stealing of Government property is a crime. It is one crime that sabotages both the Federal and State Governments Investment efforts. Economic sabotage such as the one repeatedly supervised and vexatiously embarked upon by these Governors appointee in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State is so heinous that all men of good conscience and lovers of rural and Community development all over the world are in unison in condemnation of this atrocious acts”.
Hon Ugboma therefore threatened to seek an order of mandamus from the Federal High Court to Compel the Law Enforcement Agency to prosecute the perpetrators.
He added that as an elected Representative who swore an oath of allegiance, he wouldn’t rest, until all looted property belonging to the people are fully recovered.
“I shall continue to call on the Federal Ministry of Works whose Community developmental efforts have now been sabotaged, while I continue to use my good Office to uphold the law and in correction of such abuses of power”.
