JONATHAN WARNS AGAINST DIVERSION OF RELIEF MATERIALS MEANT FOR BOKOHARAM VICTIMS

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan at the weekend warned that anybody found culpable in the diversion of food items and relief materials to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the north east will face the full wrath of the law.

The President made the warning at the official flag off programme for the distribution of relief materials to over 58,000 IDPs currently resetlled at six camps in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.

The occasion took place at the NYSC permanent orientation camp where over 4,000 IDPs from Bama, Konduga, and Damboa Local Government areas were kept.

Represented by the Minister of State for Power Mohammed Wakil accompanied by the Director General of National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Alhaji Sani Sidi and other delegations, President Jonathan said, the federal government is committed to end the activities of the insurgency that has hitherto claimed many innocent lives, with displacement of people from their communities, and therefore assured the people of the state and the north east subregion that necessary steps have been put in place to end terrorism in the country, while those affected as a result of the crisis received adeqaute government assistance.

He said, " This programme was a symbolic presentation of relief materials to the displaced, as President Jonathan, apart from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Committee, the federal government set up another Committee for distribution of relief materials under the Chairmanship of General Theofulus Danjuma to carter for the north east.

"On the directive of Mr. President, we have brought in assorted food items and other relief materials to our displaced people and victims of insurgency, and I want to reiterate particularly to the Committee members of the Distribution of Relief Materials set up by the state government to effectively discharge their civic resonsibilies with fear of God, as anyone found diverting even a single of the items will face the full wrath of the law.

"I am here as representative of Mr. President who is passionately committed to resolving the conflict in this state while also providing relief materials to our displaced citizens, I convey the condolence and sympathy of Mr. president to the Government and people of Borno state.

"The Commander-in-Chief identifies with us in this difficult moment of needless bloodletting now ravaging our state. His heart is with us and the administration has rededicated itself to the early taming and defeat of this unfortunate insurgency".

Responding, The Borno state Chairman Relief Materials and Distribution, Alhaji Usman Jidda Shuwa in his brief remarks thanked the federal government for the gesture and promised that the materials will be promptly and judiciuosly distributed for the displaced persons in all the camps in the state.

"We therefore; appreciate Federal Government's intervention with these relief materials for distribution. On our part, the state government has approved N100 million with the release of N35 million for the up keep of these affected insurgency victims. Jidda Shuwa stated.