In response to the flurry of complaints from Cross River State Government, Senator Florence Ita Giwa and the Internally Displaced People (IDP) of Bakassi, the All Progressives Congress (APC) South South has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to urgently commence investigations on the matter with a view to ascertaining the whereabouts of the materials worth millions of naira.
The APC said it demands prompt intervention to stop the deluge of attack that may lead to tension in Bakassi in particular and Cross River State in general.
The petition titled ‘Short changing of Bakassi people, incitement against Senator Florence Ita-Giwa: A call for prompt and thorough investigations and prosecution’, requested for thorough investigations and “prosecution of perpetrators of the act of sabotage and crime against humanity”.
The petition signed by the National Vice Chairman (South South) Ntufam Hilliard Eta, accused Senator Ben Ayade of inciting the people of Bakassi Local Government Area against their political leader, Senator Ita-Giwa and by extension cause her violent attack and embarrassment by her people.
“We recall that recently there was a fire outbreak at Atai Ema Community in Dayspring Island, Bakassi local government area following which, Senator Ita-Giwa demonstrated her humanitarian and leadership disposition by requesting the intervention of the federal government to assuage the plight of the victims”.
“The National Commission for Refugees responded by donating relief materials to the victims after the Commission in concert with the Director General of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) Mr. John Inaku, some SEMA officials and Media Personnel visited to confirm and ascertain the level of damage.
“Princess Ita-Giwa had suggested that the relief items be kept in the custody of SEMA pending distribution to the victims. That suggestion was actually accepted as the SEMA DG, Mr. Inaku took delivery of the said items for custody. However, few days after the custody of the materials, the Governor, we are told directed the DG of SEMA to release the items to a committee, members of whom were all drawn from the PDP”, the petition added.
The committee, Ntufam Eta, disclosed had since evacuated the relief items from the SEMA store for distribution but has not delivered and or distributed same to the affected persons, an indication that the items must have been diverted.
“To confirm the initial rumor of diversion, Senator Ita-Giwa and of course some of the victims requested an investigation into the matter, in the wake of which the state Police Command traced some of the items to the private residence of Mr. Udeme Effiong, a committee member and one of Ayade’s loyalists. The recovered items were taken to the Police headquarters along Diamond Hills, Calabar for custody.
“We are particularly worried that the attempt to cover up the menacing situation has produced a whiff of tension and insecurity coming the way of Senator Ita-Giwa following the barrage of smear from the senator Ayade junta. The intention of the junta to incite the people of Bakassi against Senator Ita-Giwa as the one at the center of the relief materials diversion is not only causing her serious social embarrassment but also exposing her to security threat.
“Senator Ita-Giwa is only struggling to come out of the scenario and our fears are that with the surge in insecurity in the state, prowling hoodlums can take advantage of the situation to attack her violently. It should be record therefore, that this onslaught against her is understandably coming on the heels of her recent defection from the PDP to the APC as well as her blunt refusal to yield to the overtures of the junta to make a detour to the sinking PDP”.
Consequently, the APC Chieftain sad that the onslaught is also against the victims of the Atai Ema fire outbreak who would have to live with the prolong excruciating conditions of losing their ancestral home to the Cameroons coupled with the recent fire incidence.
”By our consideration, this onslaught is a smokescreen aimed at covering up certain grey areas in the issue of the relief items as it is basically intended to smear the hard earn reputation and destroy the political clout of the distinguished Senator Ita-Giwa.
“It is made manifest in different dimensions including a deluge of paid media propaganda from the government officials. In one of those media campaigns, for instance, some of the committee members coming under the aegis of a phantom group endorsed and cause the publication of a press release purporting that there was no fire outbreak at Atai-Ema as reported by senator Florence Ita-Giwa”.
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