Mokwa flood victims petition Police, EFCC, ICPC over alleged diversion of relief materials, donations

Victims of the devastating flood in Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State have petitioned the Nigeria Police Force, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, alleging the diversion and mismanagement of relief materials and cash donations meant for those affected by the disaster.

In a petition dated June 26 and signed by their solicitors, I.U. Wali Law Firm, the victims recalled that the Federal Government, Niger State Government, donor agencies and other organisations made substantial donations to provide relief following the flood disaster.

The petition was filed on behalf of Isah Abubakar Mokwa, Hussaini Umar Kwangila, Bilyaminu Umar and other residents of Mokwa LGA.

The petitioners alleged that officials entrusted with the distribution of the donated relief materials and funds failed to ensure that the assistance reached the intended beneficiaries.

According to them, more than one year after the flood incident, the donations have not been effectively utilised for the benefit of the victims.

They specifically accused the Niger State Emergency Management Agency NSEMA, of including the names of some of its staff members on the list of beneficiaries eligible for cash palliatives.

According to the petition, several genuine victims were either underpaid or excluded entirely from the relief programme.

“Some of the victims were shortchanged as opposed to what they should receive, and some of the victims did not receive anything at all,” the petition stated.

The petition further alleged that some individuals who received relief items were neither victims of the flood nor residents or indigenes of Mokwa.

“In fact, some persons who benefited from the relief items were not victims of the flood incident, while some are not residents or natives of Mokwa town. In summary, the donations have been marred by corrupt practices,” the petition read.

The petitioners further claimed that the list of flood victims compiled by NSEMA for the payment of cash assistance contained the names of people who were not affected by the disaster.

“The list, which emanated from NSEMA and is available in the public domain, contains the names of persons who were not affected or victims of the Mokwa flood.

“So, in essence, some people who were not affected by the Mokwa flood were listed among those to be compensated, while some genuine victims were omitted,” the petition added.

The victims urged the Police, EFCC and ICPC to launch a comprehensive investigation into the activities of officials of NSEMA, Mokwa Local Government Area, members of the local organising committee and other individuals involved in the management and distribution of the relief funds and materials.

They also called on the anti-graft agencies to scrutinise the beneficiaries’ list, identify irregularities, recover any diverted funds and relief materials, and prosecute anyone found culpable.