Group calls for probe of Taraba flood relief fund

A group known as Coalition of Concerned Taraba Indigenes on Sunday in Abuja called on anti-graft agencies in the country to probe the management of state Flood Relief Fund.

Coordinator of the group, Yohana Daniel, made the call at a news conference.

Daniel alleged that some top government officials had been indicted in a report by the state House of Assembly.

The group alleged that more than 70 percent of the N300 million released to the relief committee in October 2012 by Governor Danbaba Suntai had been mismanaged.

He alleged that the fraud might be swept under the carpet if urgent steps were not taken by the relevant authorities.

Daniel further alleged that there were plans by indicted persons to discard the report of a committee reconstituted by the new leadership of the House in March to investigate management of the fund.

“We want to draw the attention of anti-graft agencies in the country to the fraud that has been perpetrated in Taraba State through the flood relief fund.

“The state government was given N400 million by the Federal Government.

“Records available to us indicate that some people have diverted over 70 percent of the money meant for victims of the flood,’’ he said.

Daniel said that those involved in the act had sought the support of some top politicians in Abuja to prevail on the authorities in the state to dump the report.

An official in the state House of Assembly, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview that the legislature investigated the management of the fund.

He said that though the report was yet to be presented on the floor of the House or made public, officials indicted by the report had begun lobbying for the report to be dumped.

He said about 10 top government officials, comprising commissioners and special advisers were indicted by the committee’s report to the House.

He said that the absence of Governor Suntai might have been responsible for the mismanagement of the fund.

He said that investigation into the fund started when the new leadership of the state House of Assembly dissolved the committee earlier set up on the fund in December 2012.