Relief items worth N500m have been distributed to about 116,000 internally displaced persons in Yobe State, the Federal Government has said.

It said the assistance to victims of insurgency in the North East was approved by President Goodluck Jonathan and was carried out by the Presidential Committee on Relief Procurement and Distribution.

A statement from the National Emergency Management Agency on Sunday stated that the Federal Government had approved the sum of N1.5bn for the special committee under the chairmanship of NEMA.

The displaced persons are among those who have abandoned their homes owing to incessant attacks by the Boko Haram sect in the northeast region of the country.

Flagging off the relief distribution in Damaturu, Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Muhammad Sani-Sidi, who is the chairman of the distribution committee, said the items were procured based on identified basic needs of the people.

The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Abdu Bulama, who is also coordinating the distribution, said the relief items were in furtherance to the commitment of the President in the fight against insurgency and provision of necessary support to those affected by the security challenge in the North-East.

The Minister assured the people of more support from the recently launched Victims Support Fund that was inaugurated by the Federal Government to mobilise funds and other assistance towards their recovery.

The Yobe State Governor, Mr. Ibrahim Geidam, who was represented by his deputy, Mr. Danladi Ali, assured that the state would co-operate with the Federal Government to address the security challenge and support the affected persons.