The several media accounts of the heart-rending pilfering and practical diversion of relief items and funds meant to help the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs in the North Eastern part of Nigeria cope with the situation they have been put into owing the murderous activities of Boko Haram insurgents is not only corrupt, it is sadistic and condemnable, the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL has said.
Mr. Debo Adeniran, the Executive Chairman of CACOL, who expressed disgust at the extent to which the incurably corrupt can degenerate to just to achieve their self-aggrandizing ends said, “recent media reports has revealed that more than 30 people die daily at the IDP Camp in Bama, Borno State from malnutrition and diseases. A recent report of the International Medical Humanitarian Organization, Doctors without Borders, on the devastating effect of hunger and malnutrition in IDP camp in Bama, Borno state, was humiliating and calls for serious urgent steps to be taken by the Federal government to abate the ‘inhumanity of man to man’ that is being perpetrated in the Camps by corrupt officials and contractors.”
“It is both disheartening and bewildering to read about the sufferings of the IDPs after the hell they have been through escaping from the blood-letting insurgents. We are all aware that the government, International Humanitarian Agencies, local donors, individuals and groups have given their support in cash and kind to help IDPs mitigate their situations. Yet we still witness IDPs dying on the throes of hunger and destitution on regularly basis owing to the ineptitude of some corrupt officials who divert resources meant for them.”
“We are calling on the Federal government and the relevant law enforcement agencies, particularly the anti-graft Agencies to wade into the matter in order to save the lives of these endangered Nigerians. They have been through enough pains, what they deserve is care and succour to be able get back to living their lives normally.”
“The Senate has done well with its recent decision to probe the diversion of funds, foods and the contracts awarded within the IDPs rehabilitation process which are worth about N1.3bn. The diversion of funds, foods and relief materials meant for IDPs is insensitive to their plights; any person or contractor found guilty should be prosecuted for such dubious and inhumane act.” He added
“The anti-graft Agencies should by now, have gone after some suspected officials and contractors as some of them are already publicly exposed. The Senate actually named some contractors allegedly involved in the scam; they included VFS, Sahel Associates Consulting, Emmanuel Global Enterprises Limited, Prime Cost Engineering Consultants, JOSMAN Technologies Limited, Isyours Investment Limited, Greenstone General Enterprise Limited, JMT Global Technologies Limited, Dantex Nigeria Limited, Lintex International, Umruq Nigeria Limited, Horizon Interlinks Global Resources Limited and Buni Gari Company.”
Adeniran argued that the information in public space is enough for the anti-graft Agencies to at least commence investigations if they were alive enough to their duties. He said “We should remember that the earlier we curb this murderous corrupt tendency of sucking the blood of the already dying, the better it is for us as a country. We can prevent losing more lives unnecessarily in this way.”
The CACOL leader also demanded that the Federal Government should put in place every measure to ensure that illness, malnutrition and the death rate at IDP camps are reduced as soon as possible particularly because a lot of children and mothers are involved. In concluding, Mr. Adeniran said, “the Federal government should exercise the will to stop these inhuman and blatantly corrupt tendencies, while the anti-graft Agencies should carry out thorough investigations and diligent prosecution to achieve the conviction of those found culpable in diverting the funds and relief materials meant for the IDPs.”
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