Troops from the Forward Operating Base in Potiskum, Yobe State, have arrested a man suspected of smuggling farm machinery out of the state.
The arrest took place in the early hours of August 27, 2024.
The Special Adviser on Security Matters to the Yobe State Governor, Dahiru Abdulsalam, confirmed the arrest in a statement on Tuesday.
He explained that the suspect was caught with 19 seed planters, which were hidden in a blue 18-seater bus with registration number KTG 449 YG, along the Potiskum-Gombe road.
“Today, at about 00:10 AM, troops of FOB Potiskum arrested a man in possession of 19 seed planters. The items, which are suspected to have been issued for the Yobe State Agricultural Empowerment Programme, were concealed in a blue-colored 18-seater bus with Registration No: KTG 449 YG,” Abdulsalam stated.
The suspect, identified as 43-year-old Mallam Isah Ibrahim from Jigawa State, was unable to provide any proof that he was a beneficiary of the agricultural program. He also did not have any official allocation letter for the items.
During interrogation, the suspect admitted that he purchased the seed planters from a man named Alhaji Babaji in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State, at the cost of ₦50,000 each. He claimed that he was transporting the items to resell them in Dutse, Jigawa State.
“The owner of the items had no letter of authority to issue the items to him or anyone else,” Abdulsalam said.
The suspect and the recovered items have been handed over to the Yobe State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps for further investigation and action.
