“We imported N298m SUV to Saraki’s company, then sold to the Senate” – SUV Firm

Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki and Senator Dino Melaye, who are at the centre of a vehicle racketeering and fake certificate scandal, yesterday, defended themselves vowing not to give in to what Saraki described as organised blackmail against the legislature.

The automobile marketing firm yesterday disclosed that the controversial Range Rover SUV whose ownership was ascribed to the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, was actually imported by his company on behalf of an oil major and subsequently sold to the National Assembly.

Saraki specifically denied any role in the importation of the N298 million Range Rover which the Customs intercepted as having allegedly underpaid import duties. He was backed in his claim by the importers who linked the vehicle to Oando Plc. Saraki’s testimony, nevertheless, set the stage for another showdown between the Senate and the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (retd) who was summoned to appear today to give the Customs version of the events.

Ali had, last week, gone to court to seek protection from appearing before the Senate in mufti. Also, yesterday, the Vice-Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Ibrahim Garba, confirmed that Senator Melaye graduated with a third class degree from the university in year 2000. They all spoke at the investigative hearing conducted by the Senate Committee on Ethics and Public Petitions at the Senate building in Abuja.

The hearing was upon two pleas by erstwhile Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume for an investigation of the role played by Saraki in the importation of the vehicle. He had during the Senate plenary, last Tuesday, expressed concern that the Senate face-off with Customs boss, Col. Ali may have flowed from the confiscation of the SUV, which some news reports had claimed was imported by Senator Saraki.

At the end of yesterday’s hearing, Senator Ndume expressed satisfaction, but said he had no regrets bringing up the issue to the attention of the Senate. Saraki was led into the venue of the hearing in Room 120, Senate New Building, by Senators Philip Aduda (PDP, FCT); Mohammed Hassan (PDP, Yobe South); Dino Melaye (APC, Kogi West) and John Enoh (PDP, Cross River Central).

Responding to questions on what he knew about the vehicle, Saraki said: “Most of the questions come to a basic issue. I am not an importer and at no point did I import an SUV Range Rover. As you know, this is a vehicle that is not a personal vehicle. It is a vehicle which was processed through the National Assembly.

“I don’t know anything about the importation, I did not appoint any clearing agent or anything like that. Most of the vehicles that are here, you only know when it is delivered to you. None of this did I import or get any agent. “We all know that all treated vehicles have end-user certificates  and there it states clearly who the importer is  and these documents are available and there is no document anywhere that shows my name.”

Noting that the Senate resolution against the confiscation of already registered vehicles by the Customs was an altruistic move to protect the citizenry, he said: “We all raised the issue of the policy that it is anti-people.

This policy really had no value at all and that was why this motion came up and we debated it in the interest of Nigerians, but unfortunately those who want to fight back, went and thought there was something to blackmail us with. “I am not an importer and I know the documents you have will show clearly that it has nothing to do with me.”