The tense security situation in Ohafia local government area in Abia has forced thousands of beneficiaries of the federal government’s conditional cash transfer programme to the state capital Umuahia to receive their monthly stipends.

“We were on our way to the headquarters on Thursday for the payment but midway, the Department of State Service said we should go back,” head of the programme in Abia, Okeziem Nwoko, said during the disbursement exercise on Tuesday in Umuahia.

“We were told that intelligence report did not permit our holding the payment in Ohafia, so we came back and invited the beneficiaries to Umuahia.

“It is the only local government that has to be paid in Umuahia. Other beneficiaries were paid at different pay points in their council areas,” Mr Nwoko said.

The federal government said it has so far disbursed N1.2 billion to 22,858 beneficiaries in the state up to June, with 6,730 of those beneficiaries coming from Ohafia.

“Today, Abia has 22,858 beneficiaries in the national register for the Household Uplifting Programme, otherwise known as CCT,” Mr Nwoko said.

He told journalists that old beneficiaries from Ohafia received N30,000 each for January to June, while first-timers received N10,000 each for May and June.

(NAN)