Governor Hyacinth Alia has handed over a truck of palliatives he confiscated recently in Makurdi to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) with a charge to conduct a thorough investigation over suspicions of diversion.
Recall that a few days ago, a truck conveying assorted relief materials meant for IDPs in the Kwande/Ushongo federal constituency was caught offloading palliatives at a private residence around Kilometre 2 in Makurdi.
Checks later discovered that the palliatives, which were loaded from a National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) warehouse in Jos, had found their way to a private residence under the directives of Hon. Terseer Ugbor, the representative of the Kwande/Ushongo federal constituency.
Governor Alia, who admitted that he was the one who ordered the truck to be impounded at Government House, said he wanted to know why goods released from NEMA for distribution to IDPs in Kwande and Ushongo were being offloaded at a private residence in Makurdi.
He stated that preliminary investigations revealed that the goods were coming from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and were meant to be sponsored by the state government and lifted by the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).
The Governor, who spoke to NEMA headquarters upon his return from the UK, where he attended MUTUK, expressed displeasure over the discoveries of some hidden facts regarding the matter.
In a letter from NEMA headquarters addressed to the representative of the Kwande/Ushongo constituency, Terseer Ugbor, who actually lobbied for the materials, the agency specified that the state government should pay for the expenses of lifting the materials in Jos, and that the materials should be taken to the state by NEMA and handed over to SEMA.
Governor Alia, who discovered that some of the trucks conveying other materials such as mattresses were still missing, directed anti-graft agencies to liaise with a three-man committee from the state and conduct a thorough investigation to uncover more facts.
It was also discovered that the materials were to be distributed directly to the affected persons by officials from the Agency’s North Central Zonal Office in collaboration with the Benue State Emergency Management Agency team.
Governor Alia called on the Acting Executive Secretary of SEMA, Sir James Iorpuu, officers of the EFCC, and a few others to monitor the situation and ensure that due process was followed and that the materials were distributed to the rightful people.
He thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for having Benue people at heart, calling on National Assembly members to consider the conditions of vulnerable people in their state and ensure that they provide for their constituents whatever the federal government gives.
The Director General of NEMA, speaking to Governor Alia through a phone call, thanked him for being vigilant and also promised to continue to collaborate with the state government to ensure the fair distribution of any materials coming from the federal government.
Attached is a copy of the letter from NEMA to the Reps Member.
