The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has exposed a counterfeit fertilizer network in Jos, Plateau State.
The NSCDC apprehended five individuals for misappropriating ammonium sulfate to create counterfeit fertilizer and selling it to unsuspecting farmers at N25,900 per bag.
The arrest was made following concerns that notorious individuals were sabotaging the fertilizer distribution chain in an attempt to thwart the federal government’s efforts to provide farm inputs to local farmers in the state.
The NSCDC National Headquarters’ Director of Public Relations, Afolabi Babawale, released a statement on Tuesday in Abuja detailing the arrest.
The arrest was made by the special intelligence squad of the Commandant General of the NSCDC, according to Babawale. He noted that the exhibit, which is property of the Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria, was diverted, bagged, and sold to unsuspecting buyers and farmers by the saboteurs at N25,900 per bag.
He said “On the 2nd September 2023 at about 1720hrs, the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad, acting on credible intelligence burst two separate locations; No 3, Dogon Dutse area, Jos North and Kasuwa Kara area, Bukuru all in Jos Plateau State and succeeded in recovered large quantities of diverted bags of Granular Ammonium Sulphate.”
“The product is meant to be used for the production of fertilizer and to be sold at subsidized rates to the farmers in the Federal Government’s bid to sustain the national food security program and encourage food production in the country.”
“The arrested suspects are Ibrahim Muhammed, 63; Ladan Anas, 26; Umar Said Muhammed, 37; Hambale Usman, 46; and Junaid Ubale, 30.”
“Among the exhibits recovered are 740 bags of prohibited granular Ammonium sulfate, 24 bags of Urea Dangote fertilizers, 65 bags of Indorama fertilizers fertilizers, 130 bags of NPK Barbados fertilisers, 29 cartons of ultracold chemical, 109 (20) liters of knapsack spraying pump among other items”.
The Spokesperson said that Commandant General Ahmed Audi had been briefed about the arrest and had ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects and the case file to the NSCDC national headquarters for further investigation.