A group, Taraba Integrity Network (TIN), has challenged SaharaReporters to produce documentary evidence linking a reported N44 million hospital payment to alleged diversion of relief materials belonging to the Taraba State Emergency Management Agency (TSEMA).

The group said the financial transactions cited in a recent SaharaReporters report did not, on their own, establish that public funds were diverted or that the executive secretary of TSEMA, Dr Echuseh Audu, personally benefitted from the alleged transactions.

In a statement issued by its public relations officer, Mohammed Umar, the group said, while it would not defend corruption or abuse of office, allegations of wrongdoing must be supported by verifiable evidence before being presented as facts.

It specifically questioned the basis for linking three payments totalling N44 million to Nizamiye Hospital, Abuja, with the alleged diversion of TSEMA relief materials.

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According to TIN, the report failed to show the source of the money allegedly used for the hospital payment or provide a transaction trail establishing that proceeds from the alleged diversion of relief materials entered any account connected to the payment.

The group also disputed the report's claim that the deceased person treated at the hospital was Dr Audu's daughter, challenging SaharaReporters to publish documentary evidence establishing the alleged relationship.

It further drew attention to a N12.19 million transaction from the Taraba L-PRES Draw Down Account to Katuka's Kitchen, stressing that the exact amount was subsequently returned to the LPRES account.

The group argued that the transaction could not, without additional evidence, be classified as unlawful, saying the circumstances surrounding the transfer, including its purpose, authorisation and reason for the subsequent reversal, needed to be established.

It also rejected the aggregation of various transactions into a reported N49.44 million figure as evidence of a single financial scheme, arguing that the transactions involved different accounts and could not automatically be regarded as government funds.

The group further said, the source, purpose, authorisation and destination of each transaction must be independently established before determining whether public funds were involved or diverted.

On the alleged continued presence of Dr Audu's BVN on the Katuka's Kitchen account, the TIN said BVN association alone was insufficient to establish that she continued to operate or control the account.

It challenged SaharaReporters to produce the relevant bank mandate, signatory records and transaction authorisations, if it had evidence that Dr Audu continued to control the account after leaving the business.

It then pointed to an acknowledgement in the SaharaReporters report that, the earlier allegation of diversion of TSEMA relief materials remained unconfirmed.

The group therefore cautioned against using an unproven allegation as the basis for interpreting separate financial transactions, noting that the matter was already before a court where evidence could be tested.

The organisation said, Taraba residents deserved accountability from public officials, but also deserved accurate and responsible reporting, insisting that allegations should remain allegations until supported by credible evidence.

TIN consequently challenged SaharaReporters to publish evidence linking the N44 million hospital payment to diverted TSEMA funds, establish the alleged relationship between Dr Audu and the deceased, explain the N12.19 million LPRES transaction and to demonstrate how the transactions constituted diversion, fraud or personal enrichment.

It accused the publication of relying on "sensational claims, insinuations and unrelated transactions" to create a predetermined narrative, and urged journalists investigating public officials to distinguish between financial transactions, allegations and established wrongdoing.

The TIN maintained that it would continue to demand accountability in Taraba State but insisted that such accountability must be based on verifiable evidence rather than "innuendo" or what it described as "trial by headline."