The controversy trailing the distribution of rotten food items as relief materials to disaster victims in Ebonyi by the State’s Emergency Management Agency, (SEMA) last week took a new twist with security agencies in the state denying being informed about the exercise.

The media had been awash in recent times with revelations that some victims of natural disaster in the state had been short-changed by the management of the agency which reportedly distributed some rotten food items to the supposed beneficiaries.

One of the disaster victims, Miss Ifeoma Umuojiaka who had received the said food-stuffs on behalf of the family said she had sought for assistance from the disaster management agency when fire gutted their residence.
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The victim said she was astonished not just by the poor rotten food items given to them in the guise of relief materials but the fact that they were short-changed and asked to return the items given them after their snap-shots were taken as having received what they had requested from the agency in their appeal letter wherein they had asked for assistance from the agency.

The state government had upon receiving the news allegedly moved to investigate the matter and reportedly deployed some security personnels to the agency’s warehouse at the state’s Ministry of Works.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ebonyi state command, DSP George Okafor in an interview said the matter was yet to be officially reported to the police but observed however that unlike in past exercises, they were never invited to be part of it.

“If the victims were short-changed, nobody has notified the police. The proper thing is for the Police to be alerted that such a thing is happening. I am a member of SEMA representing the Commissioner of Police. But I am not aware of the so-called distribution of rotten relief materials”, DSP Okafor stated.

Similarly, the representative of the state’s Commandant of NSCDC in SEMA board, Moses Ukomadu in a Press interview told The Guardian that his office which ordinarily should have been informed about the distribution were not informed.

“Personally, am not aware of any distribution and neither was my office”, he said.

Meanwhile, the chairman of Ebonyi SEMA board, Evang. Ephraim Ononye has insisted that as far as the board is aware, there was no official distribution of relief materials by the agency.

“The agency’s board are not aware of the distribution. And it is unofficial and I am going to find out if rotten materials were distributed and also if the victims were shortchanged. The state government is not and will never be in support of such action. I urge the victims to keep calm calm and wait the action of the government”, he maintained.