By Francesca Hangeior

The United Nations Children’s Fund, on Tuesday, raised the alarm over diversion and reselling of RUTF, a food meant for over half a million malnourished children in Borno, Adamawa State.

The organisation described the act as ‘going out of hand’ and may result in the death of many under-aged children.

Speaking with newsmen in Maiduguri during a one day meeting with stakeholders in the state, the UNICEF Chief of Maiduguri Field Office, Joseph Senesie, said the diversion is been carried out by workers, transporters and traders

He said, “The issue is going out of hand, where either traders, transporters, and some workers been found involved or caught for misusing or diverting supplies, which is a major issue to UNICEF.

“We have done investigations to know what is happening, and we have found it is happening online, in the market, which we believe the law enforcement should do their work to ensure these free commodities go free the right children.”

According to him, UNICEF is targeting more than half a million children with the supplies in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe state

While speaking on the effect of the product diversion, Senesie said, “For a child to die because the product meant for them is stolen is alarming to us. This problem is huge, we all know how insecurity, food insecurity and everything is affecting families and those who are displaced, so if those doing this sell these commodities, you are depriving the children, and they are going to die, and not only that, we will not have resources for those who really needs it, donors will stop”

Senesie urged stakeholders to contribute their efforts in advancing the rights of malnourished children

“We want everyone, like law enforcement agency to do their work, we want action from the government transporters, never to transport anything of nutrition commodities which are not going directly without a way-bill, traders not to sell, buyers not to buy because it is free. We want action from health workers not to sell or divert these supplies. We want action from everyone,” he noted.

He also called on the media to support the organisation in advocating for children’s rights and support it’s campaign against the diversion of supplies

Senesie also urged security agencies in the state to return any confiscated supplies from those diverting it to the state government in order to prevent them from expiring

“When the police station confisticate these supplies, it should come back to the ministry of health for it to be used, not to be in police stores,”he added.

By Francesca Hangeior

At least 14 people have died and six others hospitalised after consuming overnight toxic liquor in northern India, police said on Tuesday.

A Senior Police Officer, Maninder Singh, who revealed this also said that seven people have been arrested on allegations that they supplied the toxic liquor.

Singh said that the arrested persons were said to have supplied the liquor to five villages around 19 kilometres (12 miles) from the city of Amritsar in northern Punjab.

According to him, the police have launched a crackdown to destroy the network of spurious liquor supplies in the area following the incident.

Meanwhile, Sakshi Sawhney, a senior government official in Amritsar, said that the local administration has deployed medics to the villages to check on people who drank the contaminated liquor.

According to him, those showing symptoms are being shifted to hospitals to ensure the death toll doesn’t rise.

Investigators however have not disclosed what ingredients were suspected of causing the deaths and sicknesses.

In India, deaths from consumption of contaminated liquor manufactured locally are rampant, mainly in rural areas, as people lap them up for cheaper prices.

Another major headache as three Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators from Kebbi, on Tuesday, defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

According to reports, their letters of defection were read separately on the floor of the chamber by Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, who presided over the plenary.

The senators are: Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central); Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North) and Garba Maidoki (Kebbi South).

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