David Umahi, the governor of Ebonyi State has suspended his special assistant on transportation, Peter Oba, indefinitely for constituting an illegal task force and extorting members of the public.
Oba was further directed to refund all he collected from his victims and return the vehicle number plates confiscated by the illegal task force.
Briefing journalists on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting on Thursday, Kenneth Ugbala, the senior special assistant to the governor on internal security, said the suspension followed public outcry.
“The Council is also notified about the indefinite suspension of the special assistant to the governor on transport, Mr. Peter Oba for constituting illegal taskforce and using the same taskforce to be causing problem for the state.
There is a public outcry concerning this, because members of the public are complaining that many times, they will park their vehicles just to go in to buy something and before they know, the vehicles number plates are being taken away and they will be demanded to pay money.”
Ugbala said the money in question did not go into government coffers. “So, the persons collecting the money are not accountable to government. The Council directed that the suspended SA to the governor, Chief Peter Oba, should refund to all those he has collected their money the money and equally return all the vehicle number plates he has collected from members of the public including that of the Rev. Fathers and Sisters. The Council directed further that henceforth, such taskforce should not be in existence in the state and encouraged the members of the public to defend themselves before inviting police whenever such people are being cited because they are not working for government”, Ugbala stated.
