The governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia, has delivered a truck of confiscated palliatives in Makurdi to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) for a comprehensive investigation into suspected diversion.
This action was disclosed by the governor's spokesperson, Tersoo Kula, in a statement on Wednesday.
It is worth noting that federal lawmaker Terseer Ugbor, representing the Kwande/Ushongo federal constituency, had previously raised concerns that palliatives designated for Internally Displaced Persons in his constituency were seized by Governor Alia.
In response, Governor Alia stated that the confiscated palliatives, which were initially loaded from a National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) warehouse in Jos, Plateau State, were offloaded at a private residence in Makurdi under the directive of the lawmaker, leading to their confiscation.
Governor Alia took responsibility for impounding the truck at the Government House and expressed a desire to investigate why goods intended for distribution to IDPs in Kwande and Ushongo were diverted to a private residence in Makurdi.
In light of this, Governor Alia, upon discovering that additional trucks transporting items such as mattresses were still unaccounted for, directed anti-graft agencies to collaborate with a three-man committee from the state to conduct a thorough investigation and uncover further details.
It was also revealed that the materials were supposed to be distributed directly to the affected individuals by officials from the Agency's North Central Zonal Office in collaboration with the Benue State Emergency Management Agency team.
Governor Alia urged the Acting Executive Secretary of SEMA, Sir James Iorpuu, EFCC officials, and others to oversee the situation, ensuring that proper procedures were followed and that the materials reached the intended recipients.
He expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his concern for the people of Benue and called on National Assembly members to prioritize the needs of vulnerable individuals in their states, ensuring that they provide for their constituents using resources allocated by the federal government.
In a phone call, the Director General of NEMA commended Governor Alia for his vigilance and pledged continued collaboration with the state government to ensure the equitable distribution of materials provided by the federal government.