SCANDAL IN BENUE: RELIEF MATERIALS FOR IDPs REPORTEDLY ENDS UP IN POLITICIANS’ STORES

Serious allegations have emerged regarding the welfare of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Benue State, with claims that relief materials meant for vulnerable families are being diverted.

In a petition addressed to Governor Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, Barrister Franc Fagah Utôô, a legal practitioner, social activist, and policy researcher at the University of Central Oklahoma, USA, accused officials of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA), in collaboration with individuals in the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, of channeling food items and relief materials away from IDP camps to politicians and private interests.

Utôô, who hails from Yelewata, alleged that while thousands of displaced persons continue to suffer from hunger, lack of clean drinking water, and poor sanitary conditions in camps, “officials are giving out thousands of bags of rice and other supplies donated by kindhearted individuals and organizations to politicians and themselves.”

The allegations come amid sustained calls for accountability over the Yelewata massacre. Campaigners under the #JusticeForYelewata movement have maintained pressure on authorities to arrest and prosecute those responsible for the killings and their sponsors.

Today marks the 76th day since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) to ensure that perpetrators of the Yelewata attacks are brought to justice. Activists say they will continue to remind the government of this directive until concrete action is taken.

As of the time of filing this report, the Benue State Government and the agencies mentioned in the petition are yet to issue an official response.