Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have raided a private warehouse in Sintali Ward, Jalingo Local Government Area of Taraba State, where relief materials donated for disaster victims worth millions of naira were discovered.

The materials, donated by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, KSRelief, to the Taraba State Emergency Management Agency, TSEMA, were found in large quantities during the late-night operation.

Four persons, including the owner of the warehouse and three rice sellers from Jalingo market, were arrested in connection with the alleged diversion, residents told The Nation on Saturday.

A resident of Sintali, Hon. Inusa, who confirmed the raid and arrests, said DSS operatives stormed the area following a tip-off from locals.

“The whole saga started when residents living within Sintali area alerted the DSS after they noticed movement of items being taken into a private warehouse in the middle of the night,” said Inusa, who identified himself as a relative of the warehouse owner.

He disclosed that the operatives evacuated the relief materials in over 20 Hilux trucks to the DSS office in Jalingo for further investigation.

“The DSS officers have arrested the owner of the warehouse and three other rice sellers in the Jalingo market in connection to the seizure of the relief materials belonging to SEMA,” Inusa added.

The Nation gathered that the materials were originally donated for victims of fire disasters, floods, windstorms, vulnerable households, and affected communities across Taraba State.

It remains unclear whether the items were stored in the private facility for safekeeping by TSEMA or sold to the warehouse owner. TSEMA is known to operate over three official warehouses in Jalingo for storing such materials.

Efforts to get a reaction from the Executive Secretary of TSEMA, Dr. Echuseh Audu, were unsuccessful. She neither answered calls nor responded to text and WhatsApp messages sent by our correspondent at press time.

The DSS has yet to issue an official statement on the raid and arrests. (The Nation)

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