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The Bauchi State Police Command has dismantled an illegal fertiliser production operation and arrested five suspects involved in the production and distribution of adulterated agricultural products.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, by the Command’s spokesperson, CSP Ahmed Mohammed Wakil. According to the statement, various production equipment and large quantities of adulterated fertiliser and herbicide were recovered during the operation.
“On May 10, 2025, at about 1:00 p.m., operatives of the Command’s Monitoring Unit, acting on credible intelligence, apprehended one Muhammad Abubakar for producing adulterated herbicides at his residence in Magaji Quarters, Bauchi,” Wakil stated.
The suspect was arrested in a market while in possession of six bags of suspected adulterated fertiliser and 46 bottles of fake herbicide. A subsequent search of his residence uncovered several incriminating items, including:
- 38 empty cartons of assorted herbicides
- 14 NPK sacks
- 9 Indorama sacks
- 1 empty jerrycan
- 5 spoons
- Charcoal stoves
- A bundle of nylon
- Sacks containing Ztars and lambda powder
During interrogation, Abubakar confessed to the crime and implicated another suspect, Abubakar Umar, a resident of the same neighbourhood.
In a related development, on May 14, 2025, at about 5:00 p.m., the Command received a tip-off about another illegal fertiliser operation. Acting on the report, officers raided a shop owned by 32-year-old Anas Abubakar along Gombe Road. He was found in possession of 44.5 bags of adulterated fertiliser.
Under questioning, Anas admitted to sourcing the adulterated products from Abdulrahman Muhammad, 24, of Bakaro Quarters, Bauchi. Although he denied selling the product directly, he confessed to supplying raw materials, including moulded kaolin, used in the adulteration process.
Further investigations led to the arrest of Ziya’u Bala, 27, from the Gudum Hausawa area, who supplied the raw materials. He cooperated with detectives and led them to Natsira Hamlet near Kangare Village, where a large-scale illicit production facility was discovered, containing approximately 100 bags and additional heaps of adulterated fertiliser.
Anas later confessed to mixing adulterated materials from Abdulrahman with genuine urea fertiliser to create fake products. The police recovered:
- 44 bags and additional heaps of adulterated fertiliser
- 100 bags of moulded kaolin
- 12 bags of fertiliser
- 1 bag of urea fertiliser
Investigations also uncovered two more illegal production facilities operated by Sama’ila Abdullahi, 34, of Natsira Hamlet, and Mujahid Abdullahi, 32, of Kangere Village. Both men were arrested and confessed to supplying their adulterated products to Abdulrahman, who then distributed them to Anas.
All three illicit facilities were shut down, and all machinery involved in the operation was confiscated.
Commissioner of Police, CP Sani-Omolori Aliyu, psc(+), mni, assured the public of the Command’s dedication to upholding the law. “The Bauchi State Police Command remains resolute in ensuring justice is served. Upon conclusion of investigations, all suspects will be prosecuted in accordance with the law,” he said.
