EFCC Destroys 681 Bags Of Adulterated Fertilizers, Says Its Act Of Sabotage

The Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Thursday destroyed 681 bags of adulterated fertilizer.

The destruction of the fertilizers followed the order of Justice Fatima Musa of the Gombe State High Court after the alleged perpetrator of the product was convicted.

The zonal head of the commission, Ibrahim Shazali, led other relevant stakeholders set the fertilizers ablaze.

Shazali, while speaking to newsmen during the exercise, said fertilizer adulteration was an act of economic sabotage responsible for hampering the efforts of the federal government toward ensuring food security in the country.

Income of peasant farmers, the EFCC zonal head said, would be affected, as they might unknowingly buy and use the adulterated fertilizer and end up not getting the desired result during harvest.

“The worst of it is that some bags of the adulterated fertilizers have inscriptions of  presidential fertilizer initiative to make people think the fertilizer is from the federal government.

“They (convicts) print the bags, bring small part of fertilizer and bring in some limestone gotten from Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State, creating an impression that this is coming from the federal government.

“This is exactly where the sabotage comes from. So, even if the fertilizers have federal government tag on them, there is need for farmers to make proper enquiries to ascertain their source,” the EFCC zonal boss said.

Furthermore, he warned that the anti-graft agency would arrest anyone involved in fertilizer adulteration, adding that surveillance had been strengthened to ensure they are put out of business.

He said “we are still extending our investigations to Kano and Katsina states.”

The commission’s zonal boss called for more information from the public while cautioning farmers to always engage relevant agencies like Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) before buying fertilizers from the markets.