Wednesday, May 21, 2025 - Bauchi State Police Command has dismantled an illicit fertiliser production operation and apprehended five suspects.
Spokesperson of the command, CSP Ahmed Mohammed Wakil, who
disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, said various production
machinery and adulterated fertiliser products were recovered from the
scene.
“On 10 May 2025, at about 1300 hours, operatives of the
Command's Monitoring Unit acted promptly based on intelligence received from a
reliable source. They detained Muhammad Abubakar, accused of producing
adulterated herbicides at his residence in the Magaji Quarters of Bauchi,” the
statement read.
"The suspect was traced down and captured in the market while possessing six bags of suspected adulterated fertiliser and forty-six bottles of adulterated herbicides.
"A subsequent search warrant executed at his residence
yielded several incriminating items, including: thirty-eight empty cartons of
assorted herbicides, fourteen NPK sacks, nine Indorama sacks, one empty
jerrycan, five spoons, charcoal stoves, a bundle of nylon and sacks containing
Ztars and lambda powder.
"During interrogation, the suspect confessed to the
charges and implicated Abubakar Umar, a resident of the same vicinity, as an
accomplice.
"In a related incident on 14 May 2025, at about 1700
hours, the Command received information from a concerned citizen regarding the
illegal production and sale of adulterated fertiliser at a shop owned by Anas
Abubakar, aged 32, situated along Gombe Road.
"Upon receiving this intelligence, a team of operatives was promptly dispatched to the scene, leading to the arrest of Anas Abubakar, who was found in possession of forty-four and a half bags of adulterated fertiliser.
"During his interrogation, Anas Abubakar admitted to
purchasing the illicit products from Abdulrahaman Muhammad, aged 24, of Bakaro
Quarters, Bauchi. Although he denied selling the adulterated fertiliser, he
acknowledged supplying raw materials, such as moulded kaolin used in the
adulteration process.
"He further stated that he obtained these materials
from Ziya’u Bala, aged 27, of the Gudum Hausawa area in Bauchi. Ziya’u was
subsequently traced and arrested; he cooperated with detectives, leading them
to Natsira Hamlet via Kangare Village, where his illicit production facility
was discovered. This facility housed approximately one hundred bags and
additional heaps of the adulterated product.
"Anas later confessed to utilising adulterated
materials sourced from Abdulrahaman, which he blended with Urea fertiliser to
produce the adulterated fertiliser.
"The operation which followed resulted in the recovery
of forty-four bags and heaps of adulterated fertiliser, one hundred bags of
moulded kaolin, twelve bags of fertiliser and one bag of urea fertiliser.
"Further investigations revealed two additional illicit
production facilities owned by Sama'ila Abdullahi, aged 34, of Natsira Hamlet,
and Mujahid Abdullahi, aged 32, of Kangere Village, both of whom were also
arrested. They confessed to selling their illicit goods to Abdulrahaman, who in
turn supplied Anas.
"Despite the challenges, the three illicit facilities
were dismantled, and all associated machinery was recovered as exhibits.
"The Commissioner of Police for Bauchi State, CP
Sani-Omolori Aliyu, psc(+), mni, has assured the public that the Command is
committed to ensuring that justice is served and that the law will be applied
rigorously against anyone found guilty of participating in these unlawful
activities.
“Upon the completion of the investigation, the relevant
charges will be brought before the courts.”
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