By Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North

JALINGO—Taraba State Acting Governor  has wielded the big stick against eight top government officials for allegedly embezzling the N400 million given the state by the Federal Government to cater for the victims of last year’s ravaging flood.

Those sacked by the Actig Governor Garba Umar were, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Anthony Jerason; Commissioner for Women and Child Development, Charity Green; Commissioner for Water Resources, Rabo Usman; Commissioner for Education, Yakubu Agbaizo and the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Emmanuel Njuwa.

Njuwa was the chairman of the state flood relief management committee, which was investigated by the state House of Assembly and indicted.

Also relieved of their duties by the governor were the head of the state Emergency Management Agency and two special advisers to the governor.

The sack of the top officials followed the submission of the findings and report of the committee set up by the lawmakers to look into how the flood fund was spent.

The committee turned in its report on Monday and the state governor acted at once firing the officials from their offices.

The sack was announced via a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Acting Governor, Kefas Sule, in Jalingo, the state capital.

Vanguard learnt that natives of the state had raised  alarm that the amount released by the government to cater for flood victims had been seized by some people, forcing the governor to order a probe.

Before then, the officials had defended their management of the funds, claiming that all the money was judiciously expended to provide comfort for the victims.