A disagreement has erupted between the Governor of Benue State, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, and a member of the House of Representatives, Terseer Ugboh, over the seizure of relief materials meant for the Ushongo/Kwande Federal Constituency.
Governor Alia, through his Chief Press Secretary, Kula Tersoo, addressed journalists on Monday, explaining the reasons behind the confiscation.
According to the governor, the palliatives were seized after a report that they were being diverted to a private residence instead of being delivered to the intended beneficiaries. This diversion allegedly took place along Gboko Road, at a location two kilometers away from Makurdi.
He said, “Immediately the governor received the information, he directed the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency to trace the residence and directed that the truck be moved to the government house.
“The palliative was secured from the National Emergency Management Agency in Jos and in normal circumstances, such palliatives sent to the state ought to be registered at the SEMA office in Makurdi which was not done.
“We have inquired from stakeholders and traditional rulers in the federal constituency and they said they were not aware of any palliative coming to their areas.”
However, Representative Ugboh expressed frustration with the governor’s actions. Speaking to journalists over the phone, he confirmed that the materials were transported from Jos in collaboration with NEMA.
Ugboh explained that there was an agreement to store the materials in a warehouse in Makurdi until a distribution date was set. He criticized the seizure, stating that the governor was politicizing the situation.
“It is true that the Benue State Government seized one of the truckloads of palliatives and diverted [it] to the government house under the pretext that we planned to divert the materials,” Ugboh said.
He went on to detail the contents of the truck, which included 578 bags of rice, 578 bags of garri, 578 mosquito nets, 578 mattresses, 578 pieces of wax print, 58 cartons of vegetable oil, 58 cartons of seasoning cubes, and 58 cartons of tomato paste.
Ugboh, who claimed to have spent over N5 million to transport the relief items to the state, expressed disappointment that the matter had turned political. He also threatened legal action if the truck was not released by Tuesday, stating that the state government had tarnished his image.
