Olayiwola Matthew
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has taken into custody the former Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Moses Thomas, and 14 former lawmakers over their involvement in a ₦2.5 billion vehicle scandal.
The suspects were accused of violating the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022 and engaging in unlawful procurement practices while in office.
Those arrested alongside the former Speaker include Gwottson Fom, Sani Abubakar, Jwe Philip, Thomas Dantong, Happiness Mathew, Cornelius Dotyok, Agbalak Ibrahim, Danjuma Azi, Fwangje Bala, Salome Tanimu, Namba Rimuyat, Nimchak Rims, Ishaku Maren, and Paul Datugun.
On Wednesday, it was learnt that the former lawmakers were arrested by the Makurdi Zonal Directorate of the anti-graft agency yesterday, as part of ongoing investigations into financial misconduct and misuse of public assets.
The former lawmakers reportedly served for only six months but were beneficiaries of expensive government vehicles worth an estimated ₦2.5 billion.
According to EFCC investigators, these vehicles were supposed to be returned upon the end of their tenure, but none of the officials complied.
An EFCC source explained, “The Plateau State government made repeated efforts to retrieve the vehicles after the officials left office, but all attempts failed.”
As a result of the unreturned vehicles, the state government was forced to allocate an additional ₦2 billion to purchase new ones for the incoming assembly members.
The EFCC has confirmed that legal proceedings will commence shortly as investigations advance.