Nine suspects have been arrested in Katsina State over the alleged diversion and illegal sale of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), a nutritional product meant to support children and other beneficiaries battling malnutrition.
The suspects were apprehended during separate operations conducted in Katsina metropolis and Mashi Local Government Area following intelligence received by the police and the Joint Taskforce Committee on RUTF.
Police said 600 sachets were recovered from a 46-year-old woman, Amina Abdurrahman, at Mobil Quarters, Katsina, on September 3. She reportedly told investigators that she purchased the products from an accomplice who is currently at large.
A second operation on September 7 led to the arrest of eight more suspects at Mashi Market and Kwado Quarters. According to the police, 888 sachets were recovered from seven of them at Mashi Market, while another 136 sachets were recovered from Buhari Usman at Kwado Quarters.
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In total, 1,624 sachets of the diverted nutritional product were recovered.
The suspects remain in police custody as investigations continue to uncover the alleged source and supply network behind the diversion.
The Katsina State Commissioner of Police, Ali Umar Fage, ordered a thorough investigation and directed that the suspects be prosecuted upon completion of the probe.
Police also warned traders and vendors against dealing in diverted government medical and nutritional supplies, stressing that offenders would face the full weight of the law.
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