By Tobias Lengnan Dapam
Determined to thwart notorious moves by saboteurs who are hell bent to sabotage federal government policies and efforts in ensuring adequate provision of fertilizers to farmers in the country thereby provide an enabling environment to agro allied activities in the country,
The special intelligence squad of the commandant general of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have apprehended five suspects, who are members of the syndicate that specializes in the diversion of granular amonium sulphate, the key raw material in the production of fertilizer.
A statement issued on Tuesday by the national PRO of the NSCDC, Afolabi Babawale, said the diverted granular ammonium sulphate that is used in the production of fertilizer is a property of fertilizer producers and suppliers association of Nigeria( FEPSAN) but was diverted, bagged and sold by the saboteurs to unsuspected buyers and farmers at the rate of 25,900 naira per bag.
“On the 2nd September, 2023 at about 1720hrs, the commandant general’s special intelligence squad, acting on a credible intelligence bursted two separate location; No 3, Dogon Dutse area, Jos North and Kasuwa Kara area, Bukuru, all in Jos Plateau State and succeeded in recovering large quantities of diverted bags of Granular Amonium Sulphate( GAS).
“The product is meant to be used for the production of fertilizer and to be sold at subsidized rate to the farmers in the federal government bid to sustain the national food security programme and encourage food production in the country,” Babawale narrated.
The civil defence national PRO explained further that five suspects were arrested from the two seprate locations and large bags of different fertilizer products materials were
recovered.
The arrested suspects are; Ibrahim Muhammed, 63, Ladan Anas, 26, Umar Said Muhammed, 37, Hambale Usman, 46 and Junaid Ubale, 30.
“Among the exhibit recovered are 740 bags of prohibited granular amonium sulphate, 24 bags of Urea Dangote fertilizers, 65 bags of indorama fertilizers, 130 bags of NPK Barbados fertilizers, 29 cartons of ultrachol chemical, 109 (20) liters of knapsack spraying pump among other items.”
Babawale also disclosed that the Commandant General of the NSCDC, Dr.Ahmed Abubakar Audi has been duly briefed and has ordered the immediate transfer of the five suspects and the case file to the national headquarters of the NSCDC while further investigation is ongoing.
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