Police arrest 3 over theft of relief materials in Taraba

Three persons have been arrested for allegedly stealing relief materials sent by the Taraba State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to victims of the June attacks on Mambilla plateau, the police said yesterday. The spokesman of the Taraba State Police Command, DSP David Misal, told journalists in Jalingo that the suspects – George Kataps, Misa Abba […]

Three persons have been arrested for allegedly stealing relief materials sent by the Taraba State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to victims of the June attacks on Mambilla plateau, the police said yesterday.

The spokesman of the Taraba State Police Command, DSP David Misal, told journalists in Jalingo that the suspects – George Kataps, Misa Abba and Tanko Sambo – were arrested in Gembu, headquarters of Sardauna Local Government Area.

They are accused of stealing about 30 bundles of roofing sheets and many bags of cement sent by the state government to assist the victims of the attacks in rebuilding the destroyed houses.

He said the police in the area, acting on a tipoff, traced the stolen items to the shop of one Emeka Ikenga, a trader in the town, who allegedly bought the items from the suspects.

The police spokesman said the Taraba State Commissioner of Police David A. Akinremi has directed that the case be transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in the command headquarters in Jalingo for further investigation.

The Taraba state government had sent in 1000 bags of cement, 1000 bundles of roofing sheets and several bags of nails as relief materials to victims of the Mambilla attacks.

It was later discovered that some of the materials which were stored in the palace of the chief of Mambilla had been pilfered.