Two persons are now in police net for allegedly forging the signature of the Oyo State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Lawrence Adewale, to collect illegal fees for the emission control scheme which had earlier been suspended by the state government.
The suspects were apprehended at a filling station, Adeban Global Investment Limited at Oki Area of Ibadan, while negotiating the amount to be paid by the chief executive officer of the station for the emission scheme.
An invoice dated June 7, 2014 allegedly signed by the commissioner had earlier been served the filling station, asking the owner to pay the sum of N40,000 for emission, while another N30,000 invoice was also sent to Agro Bar Magen Nigeria Limited located at Gbekuba Road, Apata, Ibadan.
The police, acting on a tip off, swooped on the accused persons at the premises of the filling station as the owner was trying to play along with them while negotiating an agreeable sum to be paid for the scheme.
Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, had in June 2014 ordered the suspension of the scheme owing to the controversy which its introduction had generated from some quarters.
Adewale confirmed the arrest of the two persons, saying that they claimed to be working for Terra Aqua Environmental Consultancy Limited and Josku Nigeria limited, the two consultants engaged by the state government for the execution of the emission scheme.
He, however, said that the consultants had denied giving them such an assignment.
Adewale explained that since the suspension of the scheme and its subsequent announcements on both radio and television stations in the state, no invoice had been signed by him or issued by his office for collection of fees.
The commissioner insisted that the state government would do everything possible to get to the root of the matter and expose those behind the illegal collection of fees from the unsuspecting members of the public.
He also advised members of the public to be wary of fake agents and promptly report their activities to his office or to the nearest police station.
