Kano State Government has uncovered a warehouse where food items meant for palliatives were being diverted in the state.

The press secretary, Bature Dawakin-Tofa, who made this known in a statement on Sunday in Kano, said the warehouse was at Sharada Industrial Estate Dawakin-Tofa said Gov. Abba Yusuf and the government officials were conducted round the isolated warehouse where the hijacked food items were kept along drum of chemicals.

The governor expressed shock and vowed to punish whoever was involved in the scandalous act of diverting the palliative food items consisting of maize and rice.

He immediately directed the commissioner of police to take over the warehouse and conduct a swift investigation to fish out the culprits.

The development occurred following a tip-off from some community members in Sharada who discovered suspicious movement of unknown persons around the warehouse and reported the matter to the Sharada Police Division.

While briefing Mr Yusuf on the spot at the warehouse, one of the Sharada community leaders, Rabiu Amour, said thousands of bags branded with the governor’s portrait and designed as palliatives were discovered to be re-bagged.

“We know these food items are meant to be distributed to less privileged people. Therefore, we decided to blow the whistle.

“This is our contribution to the good efforts of the governor; he is trying his best to help the downtrodden but some people within the system are sabotaging his effort,” he said.

Shortly after the inspection, the governor directed the state commissioner for agriculture, Danjuma Mahmoud, to brief the media.

The commissioner told journalists that an investigation had commenced on the matter.

Mr Mahmoud said parts of the rice and maize hijacked were meant to be distributed to the people living with disabilities and widows of armed forces officers and other security agencies in Kano.

Although the commissioner declined to reveal the identity of the culprits, he confirmed that two suspects had been arrested and handed over to the police in connection with the crime.

“You will recall that after the official unveiling of the distribution of food items meant for the less privileged as palliatives to cushion the impact of fuel subsidy removal.

“The state government later set aside another large portion of the palliatives specifically to be distributed to people with special needs in the society.

“Besides people with special needs, the last round of palliatives was also meant for families and widows of members of the armed forces – the army, navy, airforce and police.

“Others are families and widows of the personnel of sister agencies like immigration, correctional centre, customs, civil defence, road safety and Hisbah commission,” he said.

(NAN)