Some hoodlums on Wednesday in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State looted food and non-food items meant for flood victims.
The North Central Zonal Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency, Eugene Nyelong, had on Tuesday donated the items to the State Emergency Management Agency for flood victims in four local government areas of the state: Makurdi, Guma, Otukpo and Agatu.
The items were distributed to the affected areas by the Executive Secretary of SEMA, Dr Emmanuel Shior.
The items distributed included rice, beans, vegetable oil, salt, seasoning, tomatoes, pasta, sugar, mattresses, mosquito nets, blankets, bath towels, detergents, soaps, diapers, sanitary pads, among others.
It was gathered that the materials were being shared to the 2020 flood victims at Otukpo local government secretariat when some persons suspected to be hoodlums disrupted the process and looted the items.
A witness, who did not want to be identified, said, “Despite the presence of heavily armed security men, the process was disrupted by those who were not accredited and the materials were taken away.”
The Chairman of Otukpo LGA, George Ali, said the relief materials were not looted, but some people attacked beneficiaries who had collected the items.
Ali said, “It was at the point that some of them were carrying the items away that they were attacked.
“So, it is not as if the materials were looted. If they were taking them outside the gate and it was collected, I do not have control over that.”
