By Samuel Itsede
Large scale fraud and racketeering have been uncovered in the ongoing distribution of reliefs materials to orphanage homes and Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, by Nigeria Customs Services, NCS, Sub-committee on the distribution of seized Perishable items to IDPs and orphanage homes.
Already, the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social development has decried that some people including staff of the ministry added fake orphanage homes on the list sent to NCS without their consent.
An investigation by our correspondent has revealed that the foreign rice, vegetable oil, wears and others reliefs materials purportedly distributed to the vulnerable people and less privileged Nigerians in hopeless situations, were diverted to open market for sales.
Findings also revealed that customs officers are also involved in the racketeering by aiding registration of fictitious orphanage homes and serving as facilitators as well as a transporter.
In Kaduna, a woman (name withheld), in Hayin Banki in Kawo, has been fingered for submitting a fictitious name of a registered orphanage home and secured 150 bags of seized foreign rice. A source revealed that the said woman later sold 100 bags of the rice to rice merchants in Kaduna central market and gave 50 bags to co-conspirators in the crime.
Frantic effort made to verify the authenticity of the orphanage homes and IDPs purportedly offered the relief materials were futile, as the Public Relations Officer, PRO, of Nigeria Customs Services and a member of the sub-committee, Mr Joseph Attah could not avail the statistics of the registered orphanage homes and IDPs to journalists, as demanded.
Mr Attah who spoke to our correspondent on phone from Katsina, however, explained that the list of registered orphanage homes and IDPs generated would only be made available to any journalists willing to travel and meet the committee in Katsina state.
The said Mr. Attah also refused to comply, even when asked to send soft copy of the computerized list of benefiting orphanage homes to journalists to enable them to verify the auto authenticity of the homes and IDPs, especially in Kaduna state.
“If you want to interview the committee, you can come to Katsina state which is our next point of distribution, we’ve finished Kaduna. Any homes or IDPs that did not benefit can meet us in Katsina.”
“Over 60,000 rice, other items have so far been distributed since we commenced the distribution in the states including Lagos”, he said.
The PRO who denied knowledge of any diversion, also averred that the sub-committee worked for hand in hand for with the Kaduna state government to generate the authentic list of benefiting orphanage homes and IDPs, through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.
However, Kaduna state Government had on March 26th debunked rumours making rounds that it had diverted relief materials donated by the Customs, meant for orphans and internally displaced persons in the state.
The Commissioner of women affairs and social development, Hajiya Hafsat Muhammad Baba in an interview with a journalist ina Kaduna explained that she received a letter from the Customs Service, demanding for a comprehensive list of genuine orphanage homes that would benefit from the relief items. She maintained that after forwarding the list, some people including staff of the ministry added another number of fake orphanage homes on the list without her consent.
The Commissioner who expressed dismay over the unpatriotic act, which according to her, is capable of portraying government officials as corrupt, reiterated the determination of her ministry to the fight against corruption, and appealed to the Customs Service, to conduct a thorough investigation on the matter to unravel those involved in the act.
Over 300 jerry cans of vegetable oil, 450 bales of used clothes, 2,675 used shoes, 155 cartons of tomatoes paste and 56 cartons of soap were equally distributed.
Others are 45 cartons of spaghetti and 65 cartons of mosquito coils, according to reports credited to the sub-committee chairman, Comptroller Yakubu Salihu.
Salihu explained that the distribution is a continuous exercise and that it was part of the organisation’s corporate social responsibilities.
According to him, the NCS had taken strict monitory measures to avoid diversion. Earlier, the staff officer, NCS Zone B, Kaduna Area Office, Alhaji Ibrahim Monguno, declined comments, on the ground that nthe on of their staffs were part of the sub-committee constituted by customs headquarters.
Also contacted, kajuru IDPs camp leaders in Southern Kaduna, said none of the six camp benefited. “The application letter written for one of the IDPs has not been given anything yet. I was directed to go to katsina state for the reliefs materials.”, the leader stated.
