Arase says he didn’t steal 24 police vehicles before his retirement – He says all vehicles bought by the police under him were distributed to the state commands and other appropriate units of the force – He criticizes his successor Ibrahim Idris for taking the matter to the media Former Inspector of Police, Solomon Arase, has denied reports that he took 24 vehicles before his retirement. Arase who is in London for his son’s graduation, said in a statement on Monday, July 18, that all vehicles bought by the police under him were distributed to the state commands and other appropriate units of the force. Solomon Arase, former IGP According to him, every information needed by his successor on vehicles bought by the police were in his handover notes.
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.” Arase’s successor, Ibrahim Idris, had on Sunday, July 17, claimed that his former boss went away with 24 police vehicles after he retired from service, while other retired deputy inspector-generals of police (DIG) also went away with quite many. Idris also said he had written to his predecessor and other recently retired senior police officers to return the vehicles in their possession. Idris said as a former IGP, Arase was only entitled to four vehicles, adding that the former IGP and other retired officers have been told to return the vehicles they took. He said:
“A week before I was announced, when you look through my office window, you could see so many cars. But the cars all disappeared when I came in. “What I did was to assign a directive to the Special Investigative Unit, SFU, for them to investigate all vehicles’ purchases and donations to the police in the last three years. “When I took over, there were no vehicles. I discovered that the last IG went away with 24 vehicles, including two BMWs. “The DIGs took seven, others eight. And they left me with an old vehicle. Even the one I follow the President with the last time I went for an engagement, the President asked what I was doing with that kind of vehicle. “The headlight has changed colour, which means it was parked for long under the rain. But the new ones that were bought, including an Armoured BMW 7 series, he took them away. So, I wrote to him and reminded him of the need to return the vehicles. “When a policeman retires as IG, DIG, AIG or CP he is entitled to some vehicles. And so, he should take his entitlement and return the extra. I believe four vehicles are enough for an average person. What does one need 24 vehicles for?”
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