NEMA denies spending N13b on IDPs in one month

• Airforce deploys helicopter for peace in Taraba

The National Emergency Management Agency yesterday debunked allegations by the House of Representatives that it spent N13 billion on internally displaced persons (IDPs) in one month.

The chairman, House Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness had raised the allegation.But the agency’s spokesperson, Sani Datti in a statement in Abuja, said the claim was without factual basis whatsoever, adding that it was fraudulent, malicious and only existed in the imagination of the makers.

“For the record, the agency is constrained to inform the public that on the assumption of office by the new director general, only N4.6 million was in the coffers for the multitude of problems, including 1.8 million IDPs in the North East.

“The problem also got confounded by a report from humanitarian actors that due to scaling down of funding by donor agencies, their activities in region would naturally scale down,” the statement reads in part.

It further said: “Furthermore, it was reported that there was apprehension of eminent hunger and famine. Faced with this reality, the director general was forced to urgently raised the issue with the Acting President who magnanimously approved the release of 30,905 metric tonnes of assorted food items.”

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has deployed one of its armed helicopters to Takum, Taraba State to maintain peace in the area. A statement by its spokesman, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya yesterday in Abuja, said the deployment was to deter the warring communities from further engaging in violent activities. He noted that the facility was already carrying out armed reconnaissance missions on the Mambilla Plateau and its environs.