Exposed: Benue Government Uncovers 50 Fraudsters Posing As Displaced Persons

The Benue State Government has raised concerns over the infiltration of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp at Yelwata, located near the International Market, by criminals, local residents, and traders.

The Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Aonduwaser Kunde, disclosed this to journalists on Saturday, revealing that the situation had been tense for the past two days due to mounting irregularities within the camp.

According to Kunde, some individuals from the host community and alleged criminals orchestrated a protest and later stole non-food relief items from the camp on Friday night. Additionally, local market women were reported to have entered the camp and bought up food supplies intended for genuine displaced persons.

“We began experiencing problems in the camp two days ago. Upon investigating the cause of the protest, we discovered that the disruption was instigated by infiltrators from the host community and criminal elements,” Kunde stated.

He added that authorities arrived at the camp around 4 a.m. on Saturday and identified that several mattresses had been stolen. It was found that the culprits gained access through a section of the collapsed fence.

The Commissioner further revealed that some market women have been frequenting the camp to buy rice and other food items meant for the IDPs. Even more alarming was the discovery that some women falsely claiming to be lactating mothers had borrowed infants just to gain entry and access relief materials.

“When asked to breastfeed the babies, it was evident they were not actual mothers, as they could not produce milk,” Kunde concluded.