BREAKING: Kaduna Police Release Activist Arrested Over Facebook Post Questioning Fertiliser Distribution | Sahara Reporters
In the Facebook post that reportedly preceded his arrest, Nuhu questioned why the fertiliser being unloaded for farmers appeared different from the product he said was announced by the Kaduna State Government for distribution to 150,000 farmers across the state.
The police have released Bala Nuhu Kafanchan, an activist and resident of Kafanchan, Kaduna State, who was arrested and detained after questioning, on Facebook, the distribution of fertiliser provided by the Kaduna State Government to farmers in Jema’a Local Government Area.
SaharaReporters previously reported that Nuhu was arrested on Wednesday night after he raised concerns over alleged discrepancies in the quality and quantity of fertiliser being distributed to farmers in the Kafanchan area.
According to a source who spoke to SaharaReporters, the activist was detained at the Kafanchan Area Command after the local government chairman, Peter Tanko, allegedly deployed security personnel to arrest him.
Following SaharaReporters’ report, he was released on Thursday afternoon.
“After your report, he was released unconditional by the police,” a family member told SaharaReporters on Thursday.
In the Facebook post that reportedly preceded his arrest, Nuhu questioned why the fertiliser being unloaded for farmers appeared different from the product he said was announced by the Kaduna State Government for distribution to 150,000 farmers across the state.
“There is no justice in the distribution of fertiliser in Jema’a Local Government Area,” the post began. Nuhu further questioned whether the fertiliser allocated by the state government had been exhausted and, if so, why it was allegedly being replaced with what he described as old or substandard fertiliser.
He also raised concerns about the distribution of trucks across communities, noting that “Kafanchan, Godogodo, and Jagindi Gidan Waya, which together have a total of 9 wards, received only 4 trucks” while “Kagoma, which has only 3 wards, received 3 trucks”.
A source who spoke to SaharaReporters on condition of anonymity alleged that the fertiliser being distributed to farmers was of a lower grade than the one purportedly supplied by the governor. The source claimed that the difference in price between the two products was significant, with the governor’s fertiliser allegedly worth about ₦60,000 per unit, while the alternative being distributed was reportedly purchased for about ₦25,000.
The source further accused the local government chairman of using security agencies to silence residents who criticise the administration. “Once you post something on bad governance or anything that the government refuses to do, he will just send security personnel, either civil defense or police, to arrest people,” the source alleged.
In his post, Nuhu said he was not seeking conflict but rather “JUSTICE, HONESTY, AND CLEAR TRANSPARENCY”. He appealed to political leaders from the Kafanchan area to ensure that farmers receive the fertiliser allegedly allocated to them by the state government.
“We are not seeking conflict, we are not seeking insults or disrespect,” Nuhu said in the post. “What we are seeking is JUSTICE, HONESTY, AND CLEAR TRANSPARENCY”.
Efforts to speak with the Jema’a Local Government Chairman, Peter Tanko, were unsuccessful as he did not answer calls placed to his phone.