Sunday Chukwuedo, the chairman of Aniocha North local government of
Delta State was yesterday mercilessly beaten up in a hotel by the
transition committee.
Also beaten up as they shared the monthly allocation accruing to the
council were the secretary, one Mr. Onwuka, as well as the council
treasurer and the Head of Personnel Management (HPM)
Trouble, it was gathered, started when the councilors were tipped-off
that the chairman, secretary, treasurer and the acting female HPM were
hiding in one of the rooms at Dove Hart Hotel at the Issele-Uku
headquarters of the council allegedly sharing the monthly allocation
without their participation.
An impeccable council source told our correspondent that as soon as
the angry councilors arrived at the hotel, they forcibly opened the door
to the room where the illicit deal was allegedly taking place. The
source said the four council officials were seen seated dismantling the
allocation and the visibly angry councilors gave them the beating of
their lives. In the process, the Secretary received head injuries and
was rushed to a nearby clinic by witnesses.
According to a member of the hotel staff, shortly after the beatings
were suitably delivered, men of the Issele-Uku police station arrived at
the scene and arrested the councilors along with the chairman,
treasurer and the HPM. They were taken to the station and statements
obtained from them.
Our correspondent gathered that it took the intervention of the
Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Mr. Victor Ochei who is
still away in the United States of America on a training course, along
with other prominent indigenes of the local government, to bring the
matter under control and taken from the police station.
It was also learnt that there had been a cold war between the
chairman and some of the councilors who alleged that the chairman was
not carrying them along in the scheme of things, especially in financial
matters.
Speaking to our correspondent on the phone, one of the angry
councilors disclosed that the embattled Chukwuedo, who was allegedly
planted as the transition committee council chairman by Ochei, has
fraudulently introduced the concept of “built-in” salary, the proceeds
of which he discreetly shares with the three council officials.
Explaining what is meant by “built-in” salary, the councilor
described it as the fraudulent smuggling of fictitious names into the
council’s pay roll. In practice, as soon as the allocation arrives, the
chairman and his cohorts would deduct the illegal salaries, running
into millions of Naira and shared it. He alleged that the manipulation
has been going on for several months.
Also contacted on phone, the embattled chairman denied the story, saying he was at the police station for a different issue.
Two councilors who simply gave their names as Mrs. Egbe and Mr. Buggy
confirmed the story to our correspondent on the phone and promised to
call back for more details which they never did at as the time of going
to press.
Since the incident happened, the acting Chief Press Secretary to the
speaker, Mr. Nkem Osu, have been mounting pressure and pleading with a
section of the press to drop the story with a promise that as soon as
the speaker returns from his leadership training in the USA, they would
be “appreciated.”
SAHARA
Nija we hail thee a con3 wia any tin goes*smh
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