The Kano State Government has discovered a warehouse where food items allocated for palliative distribution were being diverted within the state.
According to the Press Secretary, Malam Bature Dawakin-Tofa, who issued a statement on Sunday in Kano, the warehouse was located in the Sharada Industrial Estate.
Dawakin-Tofa said that Governor Abba Yusuf and government officials inspected the isolated warehouse, which held the diverted food items alongside containers of chemicals.
The governor expressed dismay and pledged to take severe action against those involved in diverting the palliative supplies consisting of maize and rice.
In response, he promptly instructed the commissioner of police to assume control of the warehouse and conduct a rapid investigation to identify the perpetrators.
This discovery arose from community members in Sharada, who noticed suspicious activities around the warehouse and promptly alerted the Sharada Police Division.
During the site briefing to Yusuf at the warehouse, a Sharada community leader, Mr. Rabiu Amour, disclosed that numerous bags, branded with the governor’s image and designated as palliatives, had been repackaged.
He emphasized their decision to report the situation, expressing support for the governor’s efforts to aid the less privileged while condemning the subversion within the system.
Following the inspection, the governor instructed the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Danjuma Mahmoud, to address the media.
Mahmoud confirmed the commencement of an investigation and revealed that portions of the diverted rice and maize were intended for distribution among people with disabilities and widows of armed forces officers and other security agencies in Kano.
While the commissioner refrained from disclosing the identities of the culprits, he confirmed the arrest of two suspects linked to the crime, noting the allocation of the palliatives, specifically for individuals with special needs in society and families or widows of armed forces personnel, including sister agencies like the Immigration, correctional center, customs, civil defense, road safety, and Hisbah commission.