Plateau Task Force Set to Commence Verification of Alleged Looted Government Property

The Executive Governor of Plateau State, Barr Caleb Mutfwang constitutes the Adhoc Task Force on the 6th of June, 2023 to identify, locate, and recover government property alleged to have been illegally auctioned, boarded, or possessed has set machinery in motion to commence the verification of the mentioned property.

The committee chaired by a former Permanent Secretary in the State, Nde Isaac Wadak made this known during a press briefing held in Jos, the Plateau State Capital on Tuesday 27th June 2023.

He said to achieve the mandate it was set up for, the Task Force has interfaced with various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in the State and has received details of all landed property, equipment, moveable and immoveable assets, including vehicles and machinery which will help significantly help it.

Nde Wadak hinted that valuable information was also received from patriotic citizens about individuals who are illegally in the custody of government property, which they have converted into personal uses.

He disclosed that information received so far indicated illegal allocations of government lands and buildings in some local government areas in the State, especially Jos North and Jos South, saying the property was either not properly documented or was illegally allocated or sold.

According to him, the Task Force was also furnished with a comprehensive list of vehicles purchased by the government in the last eight years with their status and whereabouts of same clearly captured including the procedure guiding boarding of vehicles and the category of officers qualified to be allocated vehicles at the end of their tenure. He hinted that beneficiaries of such are clearly spelled out and reflected through the Executive resolution of 14th June 2018. That has not changed in any way and will be strictly complied with.

He said the Task Force has put all strategies on the ground to get into the verification phase of its six-week assignment which will involve locations and persons where information were so far received. He stressed that the phase is aimed at authenticating the viability of all information received and to execute recovery where necessary in line with its mandate.

He called on those on possession of allocated, boarded or auctioned Government Property to furnish the task force with evidence and advised those with property at various stages of development to stop until the completion of the exercise.

He assured the general public that the exercise is not in anyway aimed at witch-hunting anyone, but is imperative to safeguard the collective patrimony of Plateau people and should therefore discountenance any information that not emanating from the Task Force.

He appreciated the cooperation the Task Force has received from the general public and commended them for demonstrating true patriotism for the common good of the State.