By Henry Umoru & Joseph Erunke

ABUJA- THE Senate has begun the probe into the diversion of over N5 billion Funds that was made available by the Federal Government for use by the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs in the North East.

The Senate which also expressed disappointment over Federal Government’s poor handling of the humanitarian crisis in the region, yesterday commenced the probe process into the diversion of grains and other food items from the strategic grains reserves, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA and other sources for the IDPs.

Bama IDP Camp: Cross Section of women at Bama IDP Camp in Maiduguri

The funds and management of the IDPs’ well-being are being supervised by the Presidential Initiative on North-east and the Ministry of Agriculture, even as the agencies have been accused of awarding fictitious contracts as well as indifference to what the Senate described as frequent diversion of items meant for IDPs in the face of reports that 150 children die every 24 hours.

The Senate which also indicted the Federal Government for failing in its duty to provide relief materials to IDPs to help address the effects of lack of foods and other basic amenities in camps located in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states respectively, however warned that unless something urgent was done to salvage the situation, thousands of people living in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps may die.