Benue State Governor Hands Over Confiscated Palliatives to Anti-Graft Agencies Amid Suspicions of Diversion
In a move aimed at uncovering the truth behind the alleged diversion of palliatives, the Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has handed over a truck of seized palliatives to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC). The development comes after the governor received a complaint from a federal lawmaker, Terseer Ugbor, regarding the seizure of palliatives meant for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in his constituency.
According to a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Tersoo Kula, the palliatives were loaded from a National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) warehouse in Jos, Plateau State, and were offloaded in a private residence in Makurdi under the directive of the lawmaker. The governor claimed that he was concerned about the fairness and transparency of the distribution process and wanted to investigate why the goods were being offloaded at a private residence instead of being distributed directly to the affected IDPs.
The statement revealed that the governor discovered that some of the trucks conveying other materials, such as mattresses, were still missing. In response, Alia directed the anti-graft agencies to liaise with a three-man committee from the state to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.
The materials, which were intended for distribution to IDPs in Kwande and Ushongo, were to be delivered directly to the affected persons by officials from NEMA’s North Central Zonal Office in collaboration with the Benue State Emergency Management Agency team.
The governor’s statement also quoted Alia as calling on the Acting Executive Secretary of SEMA, Sir James Iorpuu, and other officials to monitor the situation and ensure that due process was followed and the materials were distributed to the rightful people. The governor thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his concerns about the welfare of the people of Benue and called on National Assembly members to prioritize the needs of vulnerable people in their state.
In a phone call, the Director General of NEMA thanked the governor for being vigilant and promised to continue collaborating with the state government to ensure the fair distribution of any materials coming from the federal government.
