A consignment of palliatives believed to have been diverted has been sent to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Commission (ICPC) by Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia.
The items were seized on the instruction of the governor while they were being offloaded into a private residence in Makurdi, the state capital.
According a statement by Chief Press Secretary to the governor Mr. Tersoo Kula, investigation showed that the materials were picked from a National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) warehouse in Jos, for transmission to the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) for onward delivery to Kwande local government.
Governor Alia urged the anti-graft agencies to thoroughly investigate the circumstance of the release of the materials and the diversion into a private house.
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 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, requested anti-graft agencies to liaise with a three-man committee from the state and conduct a thorough investigation to uncover other details.
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 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, and called 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.