• We refurbished the carriers for public use – Govt.

Shina Abubakar, Osogbo

OSOGBO – There are concerns in Osun State that the State Government is repainting the existing Armoured Personnel Carriers, APCs, for redistribution to security operatives to boost security in the state.

The APC’s totalling 20 in number, were purchased by the Rauf Aregbesola-led administration in July 2014 following a series of armed robbery attacks in the state.

The APCs were stationed at strategic places across the state to combat crime and criminality.

However, the APC’s were withdrawn from the strategic places for over a year without any official reason.

Findings, however, showed that the APCs were withdrawn into the government house, where the vehicles are presently being painted from red, the original colour, to black.

Sources revealed that the State Government planned to repaint the vehicle with a view to presenting it to the public as its own project.

“The vehicles were withdrawn from various points by the present administration and taken into a mechanic workshop secretly. Recently, the APC were taken into the government house for repainting. The vehicles would be presented to the public as a new project soon”, said the source.

Reacting, the Special Adviser to Governor Ademola Adeleke on Security, Mr Samuel Ojo, disclosed that the state government has no intention of presenting the APCs to the public as new ones.

He added that Governor Adeleke believed that refurbishing the carriers for public use is better than buying a new set, which could run into billions of naira.

“It’s not correct. The Armoured Personnel Carrier had been grounded for so long, and since they could be repaired, I believe, it’s better to repair with lesser amounts and put them back to work instead of going for new ones that may cost billions of naira. But we do not intend to present it as newly purchased ones”, he added.