Police, soldiers are diverting relief materials – Nasarawa IDPs

Internally Displaced Persons in Nasarawa State have accused security operatives deployed in Kadarko, Giza and Agyaragu in Obi Local Government Area of diverting the relief materials meant for the IDPs in the state.

Governor Umaru Tanko Al- Makura had, on Thursday last week, distributed relief materials worth millions of naira to the IDPs following their displacement by the crisis in the area.


But the displaced people accused riot policemen and soldiers of keeping back some of the materials donated to them by the governor.

A man, who did want his name in print, told our correspondent on Tuesday that a councillor from Kadarko ward, a prominent chief from Osagade village and other non-IDPs also benefitted from the relief materials meant for the displaced persons.

The IDPs called on Al-Makura to redeem the N5m pledge he made to them.

The spokesperson for the camp, Mr. Victor Gwer, explained that the IDPs were being subjected to unbearable hardship since they were chased out of their ancestral homes.

He said, “We thank Governor Al-Makura for his gesture in giving us some relief materials last week. We want him to redeem the promise he made to us that he will give us N5m the following day. Up till now, we have not seen the money and we are facing real hardship.

“The items donated by the governor have been shared and it would surprise you what each person got at the end of the day. Some people were only given two or three packs of Indomie noodles because we are so many.

“Our people are really suffering even as Governor Al-Makura noted when he visited us here and we cannot return home now because the killer herdsmen have occupied our houses and villages. Our farm produce are now cow feeds,” he added.

Others, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, urged Al-Makura to ensure that the money he promised the IDPs was released through the right channel.

Similarly, some IDPs in the Kadarko camp, also accused some security personnel of benefitting from the governor’s donation.

“The police in Giza shared in the relief items as well as the riot policemen in Kadarko and men of the Nigerian Army were also given some of the items,” they alleged.

But the Police Public Relations Officer Nasarawa State Command, DSP Idirisu Kennedy, said the police were not involved in the sharing of the relief materials.

“The police officers have never been part of the committee set up by the state government to distribute relief materials to IDPs in the state,” he said.