Outcry Over Fake Palliative Syndicate Extorting Taraba Residents

There is public outcry in Taraba State, particularly Jalingo, the state capital, over a group of people who have engaged in defrauding residents disguising as Taraba Committee on Palliatives.

The impostors extort monies from people on the pretext that they were being registered in order to benefit from the palliative sent to the 36 States of the Federation and FCT by the federal government.

Recall that the Taraba State governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, recently inaugurated a committee on palliatives, which was saddled with all matters related to receiving and judicious distribution of the palliatives rolled out by both the state and federal governments including corporate organisations and individuals in the state.

LEADERSHIP reliably gathered that the fake ‘Committee Taraba Palliatives Care’ has allegedly collected monies from hundreds of people from various communities in the State, including Jalingo, the state capital.

Our correspondent while conducting checks on those who fell victims of the fake palliative committee, gathered that their nefarious activities were mostly perpetrated within local government areas that are located closed to Jalingo such as Ardo-Kola, Lau, Yoro and Zing local government areas.

Further checks revealed that the fake committee has a group of nine persons, who have been engaging the people with the purported idea of registration and payment of counterpart money for the federal government’s palliatives.

Mallam Garba Yahaya, a resident of Nyabusala in Jalingo while speaking with LEADERSHIP, said the syndicate extorted huge amount of money from him few days ago, adding that the same members of the fake committee later called his wife to go and register with them in order to benefit from the palliatives.

“The group of people met with me at the Jalingo Main Market, after revealing to me how I can register to enjoy the forthcoming federal government palliatives, I was greedy to register myself, my wife and two of my siblings, the money I gave to them is good enough to start a small business for my wife,” Yahaya stated.

Also speaking, Tanimu Jato from Ardo-Kola said the syndicate came to his house and engaged his wife while he was working in the farm. He lamented that the fake committee dubiously collected N3,500 from his wife as a pre-condition to benefit from items the federal government was bringing in the state as palliatives.

The Taraba State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Usman Abdullahi, when contacted, urged residents in the state to be vigilant and report such persons to the nearest police station.

“It’s until when the people report the matter, that is when the police will react. We are also on alert, as soon as we get report of their activities, we shall be handy to arrest and prosecute such people,” the PPRO stated.