Tensions are rising in Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State following the arrest of local activist Comrade Nuhu, who was taken into police custody late Wednesday night after exposing alleged irregularities in the ongoing government-subsidized fertiliser distribution scheme.
​According to eyewitnesses, security operatives arrived at Nuhu’s residence in the Station Roundabout area of Kafanchan on Wednesday. The arrest followed public statements Nuhu made earlier that afternoon at the Kafanchan Municipal Distribution Centre, where he openly questioned officials regarding significant discrepancies in both the quality and net weight of the fertiliser bags allocated to local farmers.
​Nuhu claimed that several bags distributed under the government relief program were re-bagged with sub-standard filler materials and fell short of the official 50kg requirement.
​Speaking to journalists outside the Kaduna State Police Command Area Headquarters in Kafanchan on Thursday morning, family spokesperson Mallam Ibrahim Musa condemned the late-night arrest.
​”Nuhu did nothing more than advocate for the poor farmers who were receiving diluted inputs,” Musa stated. “He was picked up at his house at 10:15 PM without a formal warrant shown to us. Raising concerns about public goods should not be treated as a crime.”
​Reacting to the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the Kaduna State Command, ASP Mansir Hassan, confirmed the arrest in an official press briefing in Kaduna.
​”The suspect was taken into custody on Wednesday night following a formal complaint regarding public disturbance and inciting statements at the distribution venue in Kafanchan,” Hassan said. “The Command is currently investigating the allegations on both sides to ensure public peace is maintained and to verify the claims regarding the agricultural inputs.”
​Civil society groups and agricultural cooperatives in southern Kaduna have called for Nuhu’s immediate release, demanding a transparent audit of the fertiliser distribution process in the region. Further updates are expected as investigations proceed.
