The Yobe State chapter of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has warned its members against selling the agricultural empowerment equipment provided by Governor Mai Mala Buni.
The tools, distributed to boost agricultural productivity and ensure food security in the state, were given freely to 5,340 farmers under the Yobe Agricultural Empowerment Programme.
Alhaji Usman Ngari, the state’s AFAN chairman, said any farmer caught selling or diverting the equipment would face severe consequences.
He reminded the farmers that the government had detailed records, including BVNs, of all beneficiaries and had vowed to prosecute anyone found guilty of such action.
He said AFAN would also impose its sanctions on any member involved in what he described as an act of sabotage against the state’s agricultural development effort.
Ngari urged the beneficiaries to use the equipment wisely and to share them with other farmers in their communities to maximise the programme’s benefits.
He noted that 30 farmers from each of the state’s 178 wards received inputs and equipment with the expectation that they would contribute to the broader agricultural community.
Meanwhile, soldiers stationed at the Forward Operations Base in Potiskum have arrested a 54-year-old man, Malam Ahmed Abubakar, with agricultural empowerment tools allegedly intended for diversion.
The suspect, a former councillor from Dazigau village in Nangere LGA, was caught transporting five water pumps and eight solar panels believed to be part of the equipment issued by the state government.
Brigadier General Dahiru Abdulsalam (Rtd), Special Adviser on Security to the Governor, disclosed that the suspect was unable to provide any documents or letters of allocation to support his claim that the items belonged to his constituents.
He said the suspect and the recovered items were handed over to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Potiskum.
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