Kabiru Idris, who produces adulterated agro-chemicals, has been nabbed by officials of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Niger.

James Kigbu, NAFDAC state coordinator, disclosed this on Saturday when the suspect was brought to the agency’s office in Minna.

“Recently we embarked on surveillance on agro-chemicals within Niger state and arrested one Alhaji Kabiru Idris in Makira, Mashegu Local Government Area, where he produces fake agro-chemicals.

“Our investigations so far reveal that he is the producer and distributor of agro-chemical known as Dudual 45 per cent used for pest control,” he said.

Mr Kigbu said that the suspect has confessed to the crime and was helping the agency in its investigation into the illicit trade.

He said the suspect would be charged to court and made to pay the necessary fines with written undertaking not to engage in the crime again.

He said NAFDAC had noticed that hawkers with no fixed addresses were selling agro-chemicals to unsuspecting farmers in the state, especially in the rural areas.

Mr Kigbu said dome of the hawkers who were arrested by NAFDAC revealed that many of them came from Kano state to engage in the unwholesome trade.

He said it was discovered that the agro-chemicals they were selling were fake and expired.

“The hawkers told us that after each farming season they stored the chemicals and continued with them again in the next farming season,” he said.

The NAFDAC coordinator said that many of the hawkers do other jobs but turn to selling fake agro-chemicals because it is lucrative.

“Some of the hawkers are shoe shiners and water vendors,” he said.

He urged farmers to always purchase their agro-chemicals from a government approved retail outlet to avoid damaging their crops with adulterated agro-chemicals.

He warned that the fraudsters were using the empty containers of the original products to adulterate the agro-chemicals to defraud unsuspecting farmers.

Mr Idris, 42, who hails from Mashegu area of the state, said he had been in the business for nine years now.

(NAN)