Troops of the Forward Operations Base (FOB) in Yobe State have arrested a 43-year-old man in possession of 19 seed-planting machines, which were part of the equipment recently distributed to farmers for free under the state's Agriculture Empowerment Programme. The arrest was made at around 12:10 AM on Tuesday along the Potiskum to Gombe Road.
According to a statement by the Special Adviser to Governor Mai Mala Buni on Security Matters, retired Brigadier General Dahiru Abdulsalam, the suspect was caught with the equipment concealed in a blue 18-seater bus with the registration number KTG 449 YG.
The suspect, who hails from Jigawa State, could not provide any documentation proving he was a beneficiary of the programme. He claimed to have purchased the seed planters from an individual named Alhaji Babaji in Damaturu for ₦50,000 each and intended to resell them in Dutse, Jigawa.
The suspect and the recovered items are set to be handed over to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for prosecution. Governor Buni had earlier directed security agencies to arrest anyone found moving the equipment out of the state, underscoring the seriousness of the state's efforts to prevent the misuse of the agricultural empowerment resources.
