ICPC recovers hospital equipment meant for constituency project from ‘Akpabio’s foundation’

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it has recovered hospital equipment meant for constituency project on the premises of Mma Obot Foundation.

The Mma Obot Foundation is allegedly owned by Godswill Akpabio, former governor of Akwa Ibom.

In a statement by Rasheedat Okoduwa, ICPC’s spokesperson, the commission said the items were recovered during its ongoing tracking of constituency projects around the country.

“The on-going tracking of constituency projects by the ICPC and its partners through the Constituency Projects Tracking Group (CPTG) initiative has yielded yet another significant result with the recovery of six tractors meant for the use of farmers in six local government areas of Bauchi Central Senatorial District,” the statement read.

“It has so far led to multiple recoveries of items, hospital equipment, vehicles and funds.

“Among the recoveries so far made by the CPTG team are dialysis machine, ECG monitor, oxygen regulator, anaesthetic machines, generators and other hospital equipment meant for a cottage hospital in Ukana, Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, from the premises of Mma Obot Foundation, alleged to belong to Senator Godswill Akpabio.”

The commission said it also recovered six tractors from a farm belonging to Isa Misau, a former senator who represented Bauchi central.

According to ICPC, the tractors recovered from Misau were meant for farmers in six local government areas in his senatorial district.

The commission said the tractors, already showing signs of wear and tear, have been handed over to the chairman of Ganjuwa LGA for “safekeeping until further directives”.

“The tractors formed part of the N430m contract for the supply of pumping machines and other agricultural machinery to farmers in the senatorial district, which was awarded in 2015 by the Federal Government as part of the senators’ constituency projects across the nation.

“The CPTG team for Bauchi discovered that N76.6m was paid for the tractors in December 2015 and supplied in March 2016.

“They were supposed to have been distributed for the use of farmers in each of the six local government areas in the senatorial district that included Misau, Dambam, Ningi, Warji, Darazo and Ganjuwa. It was found out that the tractors had obviously not been distributed as required in the terms of the contract.

“In the effort to trace the tractors, Isa Hamman Misau, the then-senator under whose auspices the project was included in the budget to be executed by the MDG (Millennium Development Goals) Office, met with officials of ICPC in Bauchi and in a written statement claimed that the tractors were kept in Yuli village.

“However, the CPTG team did not find any of the tractors there and some of the intended beneficiaries who were interviewed claimed not to have ever seen the tractors in the village as claimed by the senator.

“The tractors, which are already showing signs of dilapidation as a result of usage, with some leaking oil, have been seized by the Commission and handed over to the Chairman, Ganjuwa Local Government Area for safe keep pending further directives.”