Kelly Okungbowa, the chairman of the committee appointed by Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, to recover vehicles taken by former officials during the administration of ex-Governor Godwin Obaseki, has successfully recovered three of the 200 missing vehicles.

Formed on Thursday in Benin, the state capital, the committee has been given two weeks to complete its task. Okungbowa spoke to the press on Friday, sharing that within just 24 hours, the committee had recovered one Hilux van and two Toyota Hiace buses.

During the recovery, the committee found palliatives that were meant for distribution to Edo residents, including 10kg and 25kg bags of garri and rice, stored in one of the Toyota Hiace buses.

Okungbowa appealed to the public for more information, explaining that tips from citizens had been instrumental in the recovery of the vehicles. He assured whistleblowers that they would be handsomely rewarded for providing accurate and verifiable details.

“We have recovered one Hilux and two Toyota Hiace buses from private custody. We assure the people of Edo State and the government that we will carry out this task to the best of our ability and recover all the stolen vehicles,” he said.

Reports indicate that over 200 government vehicles are still missing. Okungbowa emphasized that the vehicles belong to the people of Edo, urging the public to help return the stolen assets.

“These vehicles were recovered from one person’s house. We also found palliatives, including garri and rice, in one of the Toyota Hiace buses,” he added.