The Kano State Government has suspended all activities under the Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) programme and constituted a high-level committee to investigate its implementation, saying the move is aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability, service delivery.

The Ministry of Health said the suspension takes immediate effect and covers all field operations, medicine distribution, community engagement activities pending the outcome of the investigation. It also announced the immediate suspension of the programme manager, transferring oversight of the intervention to the most senior officer.

According to the ministry, the investigative committee has been mandated to review the planning, distribution, implementation of the malaria intervention programme, including personnel records, operational documents, other related activities. Stakeholders, implementing partners have also been directed to submit approved work plans, distribution records, beneficiary lists for verification.

The committee is chaired by the Director-General of the Kano State AIDS Control Agency, Dr Usman Bashir, with heads of key health agencies serving as members. The government said the review is intended to improve programme delivery rather than disrupt efforts to combat malaria across the state.

The state government reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the efficient use of public resources and maintaining public confidence in health interventions. It urged all stakeholders to cooperate fully with the investigative committee to strengthen healthcare delivery in Kano.