Missing police cars found at repair shop in Abuja

It will be recalled that the acting inspector general of police, Ibrahim Idris accused his predecessor, IGP, Solomon Arase (rtd), of moving away 24 Police vehicles including the official IGP Staff Car, which is armoured plated and bullet proof, and the spare staff car, both of which are BMWs. However, the missing cars have been found. It was gathered that the official staff car and spare staff cars were sent to an auto repair shop for total and comprehensive repairs for use of the next IGP.

According to Vanguard, the cars were sent to Auto Computers located in the Jabi district of Abuja and that the spare BMW car has been completed and repainted. The spare staff car was said to have been having engine problems for the last five years before the last administration sent it for repairs.

 A source at Auto Computer said that the spare car was delivered to the Police headquarters on Sunday, July 17 in the afternoon after completion of repairs and that officials of the company would visit the Acting IGP to demand for payment of the job done. For the armored plated staff car, it was gathered that because of the new technology embedded in the car, the company will need more time to fix the identified problems of the car as some of the needed parts will be imported.

The source also pointed out that nobody approached Auto Computer to ask about the whereabouts of the cars, and that since it was the police that brought them, they (company) just went about their repairs. When sought to find out if the proper procedure of ascertaining location of the cars were followed, it was discovered that the Works Department and the Force Transport Department that would have been approached for explanations were not approached. 

Rather, the IGP secretariat comprising of newly posted officers, were said to have written the former IGP demanding the whereabouts of the staff cars and other 22 vehicles, some the former IGP was said to have interpreted as a slight on his person.

Further investigation in other relevant departments regarding the whereabouts of other vehicles showed that the vehicles were intact and that while some were deployed for operations, the Police had records of the location of others.

He said: “I suspect there must be a disconnect somewhere because every information needed by my successor are provided in my handover notes. I’m also not aware that any letter was written to me because if there was any dropped in my house, someone would have alerted me. 

It’s unfortunate that this matter is being made a media issue because my successor has my telephone number and could have called me for any clarification or even sent me a text message rather than addressing the media on an issue well documented in my handover notes.”