By Olawale Lamina
In a swift response to the recent attack on Yelwata community in Benue State, the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has deployed essential relief materials to provide immediate succour to those displaced and affected by the incident.
Benue communities have been under serial herdsmen attacks, leading to loss of lives and livelihood in recent times.
A statement by the agency’s Head, Press Unit, Manzo Ezekiel on Tuesday disclosed that the intervention followed a rapid needs assessment jointly conducted by officials of NEMA, the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), the Nigerian Red Cross Society and relevant security agencies.
Director General of NEMA, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, has activated the Agency’s North Central Zonal Office, under the leadership of Zonal Director, Mr. Aliyu Waziri, to oversee the prompt distribution of the relief items in coordination with Benue SEMA. She also directed that a more detailed assessment of the affected population and infrastructure be carried out to determine any additional support that may be required.
The relief materials approved and deployed are food and non-food items including bags of parboiled rice, maize, spaghetti, vegetable oil, seasoning cubes, tomato paste, iodize salt and mattresses.
NEMA assured of its commitment to collaborating with all stakeholders to alleviate the suffering of victims and restore normalcy to the affected community.
Meanwhile, the Benue State government has joined others to renew the call for state policing as against self-defence being canvassed in some quarters as a way to ward off all forms of attacks by herdsmen in its agrarian communities.
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