Police arrest ministry officials over vandalism of tractors

Ibrahim Dabugur, Damaturu - 01.02.2008

POLICE in Yobe State have arrested three senior officials of the state Ministry of Agriculture for allegedly removing two units of tractors of community agricultural services and training centre from the ministry’s premises.

Briefing journalists at the police headquarters in Damaturu, the acting Public Relations Officer, ASP Buba Kijah, said that the arrest followed a tip-off from some ministry officials as a result of which they swung into actions and apprehended the suspects at different locations with the items.

Those arrested were Mr. A.O. Nasid, the Director, Engineering Services of the ministry; Isa Birma Gulani and Alhaji Babani Mashio. Also in the police custody in connection with the case is Ishiaku Ausaja.

Kijah said that Mr. Nasid pretended to be the state Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture, while Gulani impersonated the Permanent Secretary of the ministry.

The acting PPRO disclosed that the offence of Alhaji Babani was that he was the officer who released the tractors without formal approval of the commissioner.

The police, according to the report, were now preparing three-count charge against the arrested persons.

The charges were impersonation, forgery and criminal breach of trust. In his briefing, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Alkali Abdulkadir Jajere, told journalists that the officers acted without his approval to release the two tractors.

This, according to him, indicated there was a hidden agenda by the suspects.