The security operatives in Ebonyi State have placed people in the state on red alert after they cracked a fertiliser fraud involving diversion and adulteration. The discovery was made by the state chapter of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC). the command said it arrested two suspects for allegedly diverting and supplying adulterated fertilizers worth over ₦3.6 million. The prime suspect, Chinedu Opu, is still at large, while his driver, Oliver Onyishi, was apprehended by the NSCDC.
According to NSCDC Commandant, Francis Nnadi, the command recovered over 60 trucks of adulterated fertiliser and three trucks of free government fertiliser that were diverted by beneficiaries. The breakthrough followed the collaboration between the Ebonyi State government and the NSCDC to combat fertiliser adulteration. Following the breakthrough, the commandant has warned that economic sabotage would not be tolerated. The adulkteration truly amounts to economic sabotage, as the fraudulent practice would have negative effects on the state government revenue, as well as hamper the quality and volume of production of farm produce in the state.
The Chairman of the Ebonyi State Fertilizer and Chemical Company Limited Board, Eni Uduma, therefore, thanked the NSCDC for their efforts and urged honest agro-dealers to partner with the company to eliminate the menace of fertilizer adulteration. The State Chairman Taskforce on Fertilizer Adoption and Relocation of Agro-Dealers, Vincent Uguru, explained that the taskforce aims to relocate agro-dealers to designated areas where their products can be monitored and quality-controlled.
