A covert operation by operatives of the Department of State Services has led to the discovery of a private warehouse allegedly stocked with relief materials meant for disaster victims in Sintali Ward, with four suspects taken into custody.
The raid was carried out in Jalingo, the headquarters of Jalingo Local Government Area, following intelligence reportedly supplied by residents who noticed unusual late-night movement of relief supplies from government storage facilities to the privately owned warehouse.
The development was made public on Sunday in a post on X by Zagazola Makama, a security and counter-insurgency expert focused on the Lake Chad region.
According to Makama, who cited security sources, DSS operatives recovered food items and other relief materials valued at millions of naira during the operation.
The items are believed to have been donated by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre to the Taraba State Emergency Management Agency for distribution to victims affected by disasters across the State.
Those arrested include the owner of the warehouse and three rice traders allegedly linked to the recovered items.
The materials have since been moved to the DSS office in Jalingo as investigations continue.
Makama added that investigators are working to establish whether the relief items were unlawfully diverted from official custody or had been temporarily stored at the warehouse for legitimate reasons.
As of the time this report was filed, the Taraba State Emergency Management Agency had not issued any comment on the incident, while the DSS was yet to release an official statement regarding the operation.
