A Taraba-based civil society organisation has dismissed reports that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) raided a warehouse containing humanitarian relief materials in Jalingo, while the Taraba State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has denied any link to the facility at the centre of the controversy.
The conflicting accounts followed reports alleging that DSS operatives raided a warehouse in Sintali Ward, Jalingo, and arrested three suspects over relief materials donated by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief).
Addressing journalists in Jalingo, the coordinator of The Taraba Rebirth, Mr. James Manager, said the organisation’s independent inquiry found no evidence that any DSS raid took place or that anyone was arrested.
He also dismissed claims that relief materials meant for internally displaced persons and other vulnerable residents had been diverted.
According to Manager, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Taraba State Emergency Management Agency (TSEMA) had already commenced distributing the donated items across the state.
He explained that the distribution carried out in Jalingo was only the first phase of the exercise and was conducted in the presence of security agencies, government officials, stakeholders and members of the media.
Manager said the remaining relief materials were deliberately kept for subsequent distribution to beneficiaries in other local government areas.
He urged the public to disregard what he described as misleading reports capable of undermining confidence in humanitarian interventions.
However, in a separate statement signed by its management, the Taraba State Emergency Management Agency distanced itself from the warehouse mentioned in the reports.
The agency said it neither stored nor authorised the storage of relief materials at the facility and had no involvement in the matter.
SEMA directed all enquiries concerning the alleged DSS operation and the relief materials to the Department of State Services, describing it as the appropriate authority to address the issue.
The agency also reaffirmed its commitment to emergency management and humanitarian response across the state.
The controversy followed widespread reports over the weekend alleging that DSS operatives uncovered relief materials meant for vulnerable residents during an operation at a private warehouse in Jalingo.
At the time of filing this report, the Department of State Services (DSS) had yet to issue an official statement confirming or denying the alleged operation, leaving the circumstances surrounding the incident unresolved.
