Former Plateau Speaker, 14 Others Arrested For Illegally Keeping 2.5bn Goverment Vehicles

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Moses Thomas Sule, former speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, along with 14 former lawmakers, over allegations of abuse of procurement processes and unlawful retention of state-owned vehicles.

According to a statement released Wednesday by Dele Oyewale, EFCC spokesperson, the arrest followed petitions by concerned citizens of Plateau State accusing the former legislators of violating the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The lawmakers, who spent only six months in office, allegedly took possession of luxury vehicles worth N2.5 billion, which had been procured for them by the state government, and refused to return them upon leaving office.

“Investigation further showed that the said vehicles are valued at N2.5 billion. Upon leaving office, the vehicles were meant to be returned to the state government but were taken away by the legislators, and all efforts to retrieve them have proved abortive,” the EFCC statement said.

Oyewale also revealed that the government had to procure another fleet of vehicles for the new assembly members, costing an additional N2 billion.

“The former speaker and other members will soon be charged to court,” the commission said.

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Those arrested include Gwottson Fom, Sani Abubakar, Jwe Philip Gwom, Thomas Dantong, Happiness Mathew Akawu, Cornelius Dotyok, Agbalak Ibrahim, Danjuma Azi, Fwangje Bala Ndat, Salome Tanimu Wanglet, Namba Rimuyat, Nimchak Rims, Ishaku Maren, and Paul Datugun.

Their elections were earlier nullified in November 2023 by the Court of Appeal, which held that the PDP lacked the legal structure to sponsor candidates in Plateau since 2020.