Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have raided a private warehouse in the Sintali Ward of Jalingo Local Government Area, Taraba State, uncovering a large cache of relief materials worth millions of naira that were allegedly diverted from their intended beneficiaries. The operation, which took place late on Sunday, June 27, 2026, led to the arrest of four suspects, including the warehouse owner and three rice sellers from the Jalingo market .
The relief materials were reportedly donated by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief) to the Taraba State Emergency Management Agency (TSEMA) for distribution to victims of disasters such as floods, fire outbreaks, and windstorms, as well as other vulnerable households across the state . A resident of Sintali Ward, Hon. Inusa, confirmed the development to journalists, saying that DSS operatives stormed the warehouse following a tip-off from members of the community who had noticed suspicious movements of goods into the facility in the middle of the night .
According to Hon. Inusa, who identified himself as a relative of the warehouse owner, a large quantity of relief materials was recovered during the operation . He further disclosed that four people were taken into custody, including the facility's owner and three rice sellers from the Jalingo market . The operatives evacuated the recovered items using more than 20 Hilux vehicles before transporting them to the DSS office in Jalingo for further investigation .
It remains unclear whether the items were being temporarily stored in the private warehouse on behalf of TSEMA or had been sold to the warehouse owner for private gain . Findings indicate that TSEMA operates at least three official warehouses within Jalingo where humanitarian supplies are usually kept pending distribution . Efforts to obtain an official response from the agency were unsuccessful, as the Executive Secretary of TSEMA, Dr. Echuseh Audu, neither answered phone calls nor responded to WhatsApp and text messages sent by journalists seeking clarification on the incident .
As of the time of filing this report, the DSS had yet to issue an official statement on the raid or the arrests, while investigations into the matter are said to be ongoing . The raid comes just months after a similar scandal rocked the state. In March 2026, a Taraba State official submitted himself to security agencies over allegations of diverting large quantities of relief materials . A viral social media post by one Abdulmumin Imam had accused Dr. Audu of diverting more than 10,000 bags of rice and over 1,000 cartons of groundnut oil meant for vulnerable households and internally displaced persons, allegedly selling them outside the state . Imam was later arrested by the State Criminal Investigation Department over the allegations .
The latest DSS operation suggests that the diversion of humanitarian aid may be a recurring problem in the state, with officials and private individuals exploiting the system for personal gain. The arrest of the warehouse owner and rice sellers has sparked outrage among residents, who have long complained that relief materials often fail to reach those who need them most. As investigations continue, the DSS has not provided further details on the recovered items or the charges the suspects may face. However, the raid underscores the agency's growing role in tackling economic sabotage and the diversion of public goods, even as it remains to be seen whether the suspects will face prosecution or whether the matter will be quietly resolved.
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