DSS raids Taraba warehouse, recovers allegedly diverted relief materials, arrests four

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have raided a private warehouse in Sintali Ward, recovering relief materials reportedly meant for disaster victims and arresting four suspects.

The development was disclosed on Sunday by security and counter-insurgency analyst Zagazola Makama in a post shared on X.

Citing security sources, Makama said the operation followed intelligence from residents, who allegedly observed suspicious nighttime movement of relief materials from government storage facilities to the private warehouse.

According to the report, DSS operatives recovered food items and other relief supplies worth millions of naira believed to have been donated by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre to the Taraba State Emergency Management Agency (TSEMA) for distribution to victims of disasters in the state.

Four suspects, including the warehouse owner and three rice traders, were arrested in connection with the discovery.

The recovered items were subsequently evacuated to the DSS office in Jalingo for further investigation.

Makama added that investigators were working to determine whether the relief materials had been unlawfully diverted from official custody or were being temporarily stored at the warehouse for legitimate reasons.

As of the time of filing this report, TSEMA had not commented on the incident, while the DSS had yet to issue an official statement on the operation.

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have raided a private warehouse in Sintali Ward, recovering relief materials reportedly meant for disaster victims and arresting four suspects.

The development was disclosed on Sunday by security and counter-insurgency analyst Zagazola Makama in a post shared on X.

Citing security sources, Makama said the operation followed intelligence from residents, who allegedly observed suspicious nighttime movement of relief materials from government storage facilities to the private warehouse.

According to the report, DSS operatives recovered food items and other relief supplies worth millions of naira believed to have been donated by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre to the Taraba State Emergency Management Agency (TSEMA) for distribution to victims of disasters in the state.

Four suspects, including the warehouse owner and three rice traders, were arrested in connection with the discovery.

The recovered items were subsequently evacuated to the DSS office in Jalingo for further investigation.

Makama added that investigators were working to determine whether the relief materials had been unlawfully diverted from official custody or were being temporarily stored at the warehouse for legitimate reasons.

As of the time of filing this report, TSEMA had not commented on the incident, while the DSS had yet to issue an official statement on the operation.