Benue SEMA Denies Diverting IDPs’ Relief Materials

The executive secretary of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) Dr Emmanuel Shior has described allegation of mismanagement and diversion of relief materials meant for internally displaced persons (IDPs) levelled against him by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Revd. Fr. Hyacinth Iornem Alia, as false.

Shior who denied the allegation during an interview on the update of humanitarian crises in the state said, “I am very angry If a man of God like Fr. Alia will be playing politics with the lives of people for political gains is not good.”

According to him, “It seems the APC candidate lacks knowledge about what is happening here in SEMA and IDP camps, that is why he is making disparaging comments about SEMA and the Benue State government, however I don’t want to join issues with him but I want to tell him to come close and see things himself and also do what other people and priests are doing instead of staying far, Benue SEMA is open for all.”

Shior lamented a situation where the APC governorship candidate and the Benue APC leader have not even in the disguise of campaign, visited the IDPs or condemned the killings across the state keep on complaining about diversion of relief materials and mismanagement of funds, urging them to do the needful.

He said, “I hope and believe that the next governor, who will take over from Ortom will leverage on foundation of the governor so that his efforts will not be in vain.”

While accusing National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) of not doing enough for the IDPs in Benue, Shior said what the state usually receives from NEMA is a handful compared to what other states in similar situations are getting.