By Amos Aar
A MULTI-MILLION-naira fraud scandal is rocking the agricultural sector in Nasarawa State, a petition by the United Farmers Association, Kadarko (UFAK) has alleged in a petition to the police over alleged misappropriation of N675 million in farming inputs and funds.
UFAK, in the petition signed by its chairman, Chief Dennis Denen Utsa, and addressed to the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP), Zone 4 Command, Makurdi, is accusing several individuals and financial institutions of criminal conspiracy, fraud, and cheating.
Those accused include Amos Manasseh Agbo, Haruna Adamu, and Tanko Sarki, as well as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Keystone Bank, and Nirsal Microfinance Bank.
According to the petition, UFAK revealed that it secured a N177.3 million loan in 2019 under the CBN’s Anchor Borrowers Program to cultivate 900 hectares of rice.
The association claimed that CBN and Keystone Bank fraudulently diverted part of the funds for private businesses.
The farmers’ association also revealed that in 2020, it obtained an additional N119.6 million loan from Nirsal Microfinance Bank to cultivate 692 hectares of rice.
Asked how much was diverted specifically, Chief Dennis Denen Utsa, Chairman of UFAK, said: “CBN and Keystone Bank misappropriated the whole N177.3 million, because the inputs supplied were not paid for in 2019.”
The petition further stated that due to security challenges in Kadarko, the association contracted Farm Network Services, owned by Amos Mannaseh Agbo, and Danmaje Global Services, owned by Alhaji Tanko Muhammad Sarkin, to manage the farm project.
UFAK also claimed that it engaged JUBGA SUHARA Co. Kano, led by Alhaji Haruna Adamu, to supply farm inputs, while Nirsal Microfinance Bank was responsible for paying labour costs.
However, UFAK alleged that instead of farming the agreed 692 hectares, the contractors cultivated only 492 hectares but received full payment.
Worse still, the petition alleged that the accused harvested the rice and refused to surrender the proceeds, choosing instead to sell the paddy and use the money to establish a private rice factory in Obi LGA, Nasarawa State.
UFAK chairman, Chief Utsa, told our reporter that efforts to seek justice have been frustrated by alleged police inaction and corruption. He stated that the case was first reported to the Commissioner of Police Crack Team in Lafia but was later transferred to AIGP Zone 4 Command, Makurdi in July 2023.
Chief Utsa alleged that though ASP John Mark Iorshagher, the lead investigating police officer, had completed the investigation, but the then Assistant Commissioner of the Zonal CID allegedly compromised the case due to bribery and influence.
He further claimed that one of the prime suspects, Amos Mannaseh Agbo, is being protected because his father is a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police.
“The police are compromising this case because of the high-level connections of the suspects. These individuals used our resources to build their private businesses while our farmers continue to suffer.
“We call on the police, the media, and human rights organizations to intervene and protect our livelihoods,” Chief Utsa pleaded.
The farmers are now appealing to the AIGP Zone 4 to take urgent action to arrest the suspects and recover their stolen funds.
They insist that failure to act will not only cripple their businesses but also discourage farmers from participating in government-backed agricultural programs in the future.
When our reporter on Monday contacted the lead investigating police officer, ASP John Mark Iorshagher, to find out why the case was yet to be charged to court after a long time, he declined comments on phone, pointing out that it was an “official matter” that would be discussed only in his office.
ASP Iorshagher therefore invited the reporter to his office at the Zone 4 Headquarters, Makurdi for an interface but the exact time for the meeting was not heard clearly owing to network hitches during the conversation.
The reporter then sent a direct message (SMS) to ascertain if he was to go there immediately but there was no response from the IPO.
When our reporter went to Zone 4 Headquarters an hour later and dialed ASP Iorshagher’s phone number, it was switched off.
Frantic efforts to reach the prime suspect, Amos Manasseh Agbo, and the financial institutions for their responses were unsuccessful as their phone contacts were not reachable.
