Troops from the Forward Operations Base (FOB) in Yobe have arrested a 43-year-old man in possession of 19 seed-planting machines, which were recently distributed to farmers for free as part of the Yobe State Agriculture Empowerment Programme. The arrest occurred around 12:10 a.m. on Tuesday on the Potiskum to Gombe Road, with the equipment concealed in a blue 18-seater bus.
According to a statement by retired Brigadier General Dahiru Abdulsalam, Special Adviser to Governor Mai Mala Buni on Security Matters, the suspect, who is from Jigawa State, could not provide any proof that he was a legitimate beneficiary of the programme. He claimed to have purchased the machines from a person named Alhaji Babaji in Damaturu for N50,000 each and intended to resell them in Dutse, Jigawa.
The suspect and the seized items are set to be handed over to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for further investigation and prosecution.
