The 40 vehicles allegedly recovered from Dr. Godknows Igali, former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Power, do not belong to the Nigerian Government, sources close to him and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said last night.

There had been a public uproar following the claim made earlier in the week by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, that a former Permanent Secretary took away over 40 government-owned vehicles while leaving office.

Close sources, however, revealed on Friday night that the said vehicles, which were mainly Hilux and buses, were remnants from the pool of the Goodluck Sambo 2015 Presidential Campaign Organisation.

A source at the EFCC said following an unsigned petition by an inquisitive Nigerian, the commission swung into action and discovered 45 (not 40 vehicles), seven of which were SUVs, kept in a location in Abuja.

The source said investigations confirmed that the vehicles were donated by different organisations and individuals while some were bought through bank loans.

He further revealed that some of the people who brought in the vehicles came though the former Perm Sec, who is close to former President Goodluck Jonathan, hence his invitation.

The EFCC source further revealed that the commission got involved in the vehicle investigation because one of the companies under investigations by the anti-corruption agency was found to have donated some of the vehicles put at a cost of N300 million to the Presidential campaign.

“The commission thereafter invited the said PS who presented documents and receipts for the purchase of the vehicles but the EFCC insisted that the N300 million contributed by the company under investigations must be recovered,” the EFCC source said. He added that “the PS (Permanent Secretary) agreed to release some of the vehicles to the tune of the N300 million but later accepted that in the national interests all the vehicles should be released to the EFCC.”

“None of those vehicles belong to the government. They were all bought by individuals and companies as contributions to the presidential campaign. Contrary to reports that the 40 vehicles were government vehicles, not even one belong to the government. Those who believe in truth should investigate it to know the truth,” the source said.

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