Edo govt foils arson attempt at Palm House, evacuates vital contract documents for safekeeping

The Edo State Government, on Tuesday, announced that it foiled an arson attempt at the state’s Secretariat, otherwise known as Palm House, on Monday night, when it had to deploy security operatives to safeguard the premises of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainability following intelligence reports of an arson attempt at the ministry.

The state government to destroy critical documents pertaining to the N30 billion Benin stormwater project.

It would be recalled that Governor Godwin Obaseki had during an inspection of the Textile Mill Road catchment of the stormwater project on Monday morning vowed to set up a panel to investigate how money meant for the project was spent, just as he decried that the project was conceived by the previous administration in the state to defraud Edo people.

In a statement endorsed by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Osarodion Ogie, the state government reassured that it would ensure that it uncovered the details surrounding the project and its execution and also assured that all those culpable would be brought to justice.

Ogie noted: “Following the commitment of the Edo State Government to probe the N30 billion Benin stormwater project, the state received intelligence of a possible arson at the offices of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainability, which houses vital documents on the project,” the statement added.

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According to him, “The government immediately deployed security operatives to guard the premises of the Ministry overnight to protect its assets. We have successfully evacuated these vital documents to a safe location to ensure their integrity and in readiness for a probe.”

The state government, the SSG assured it would ensure that “it uncovers the details surrounding the project and its execution and also assure that all those culpable are brought to justice.

“We will do right by Edo people as always and work assiduously to ensure that our people get value for our money as regards the execution of the N30 billion stormwater project,” he reassured.

Earlier, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Mr Lucky Wasa, who led the team to guard the premises of the ministry overnight and to evacuate the vital documents ordered: “that all files stored at the registry and other offices be sorted out and removed from the building to a more secured location to ensure that nobody sabotages the planned probe by Governor Godwin Obaseki.”

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Edo govt foils arson attempt at Palm House, evacuates vital contract documents for safekeeping