By Amos Aar
GOVERNOR Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Commission (ICPC), a truckload of palliatives he allegedly seized at a private residence in Makurdi on September 11, 2024.
The governor charged the anti-graft agencies to conduct a full-scale investigation into the alleged diversion of the relief materials.
National Record had reported on Tuesday that Governor Alia confiscated a truck conveying assorted relief materials meant for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Kwande/Ushongo federal constituency when it was allegedly caught with people offloading palliatives at a residence around Kilometre 2 in Makurdi.
Governor Alia’s spokesperson, Mr Tersoo Kula, in a statement in Makurdi on Wednesday, the governor, while urging the anti-graft agencies to conduct a thorough investigation also revealed that he spoke to NEMA headquarters upon his return from the United Kingdom (UK).
Kula said a letter obtained from NEMA by the governor addressed to the House of Representatives member for Kwande/Ushongo federal constituency, Hon. Terseer Ugbor, revealed that although the lawmaker actually lobbied for the materials, the agency specified that the state government should pay for the expenses of lifting the items in Jos, and that the materials should be taken to the state by NEMA and handed over to SEMA.
National Record could recall that the content of the letter is contrary to Ugbor’s earlier claim that NEMA authorised him to offload and keep the palliatives in Makurdi and distribute it to the beneficiaries at a later date.
Kula’s statement reads in part: “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”, the CPS said.
