The Department of State Services (DSS) in Taraba State has reportedly arrested a warehouse owner and three other individuals over the diversion of humanitarian relief materials donated to the state by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief) for distribution to poor and vulnerable residents.
The arrests reportedly took place at a private warehouse in Sintali Ward, Jalingo Local Government Area of Taraba State, where a truckload of relief items, including rice, white beans and other essential supplies, had allegedly been offloaded.
Sources familiar with the incident told SaharaReporters that the materials were intended for distribution to vulnerable households and communities across the state as part of a humanitarian intervention by the Saudi-based organisation.
However, the items were taken to a private warehouse in circumstances that prompted the intervention of the DSS.
A video obtained by SaharaReporters shows utility vehicles believed to belong to the DSS, including Hilux vehicles, at the location as bags of relief materials were being loaded for removal.
Some of the bags visible in the video bear the inscription, “Not for Sale,” indicating that the materials were not intended for commercial sale.
Sources present at the warehouse told SaharaReporters that the Hilux vehicles belonged to the DSS and that the relief materials were being transported to the agency’s headquarters in Jalingo.