SON confiscates 150 bags of counterfeit Golden fertilizer, apprehends producer in Bauchi

150 bags of counterfeit fertilizer produced illegally have been confiscated by the Bauchi State office of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) in Chinade town, Katagum Local Government Area of Bauchi State just as the producer was arrested.

The disclosure was made by the North-East Zonal Coordinator of SON, Alhaji Adamu Abba who paraded the suspect before the Journalists in Bauchi.

He said that the suspect was arrested in Chinade by the operations team last week Saturday which was the market day of Chinade.

According to the Zonal Coordinator, the suspect was caught producing counterfeit Golden Fertilizer using four different combination sacks of fertilizer products of Mai Rago, Freedom, Boko and Indoorama, while rebagging it on Golden fertilizer bags to sell as an original product to the unsuspecting consumers.

He also disclosed that the Organisation has confiscated over 150 bags of counterfeit fertilizer from the producers’ shop.

In his remarks, the head of the operations team, also a Bauchi state coordinator of Standard Organization of Nigeria, Malam Murtala Sa’ad said that upon reception of an intelligence report, he quickly mobilized his team to the site, and they were lucky to catch at the location and arrested him.

He said that ” During the operations, we were able to confiscate over 150 bags of counterfeit Golden fertilizer already made at the site and we closed down the place and got him arrested without any resistance from both the producer and the community”.

The operations officer further said that the suspect after all investigations would be charged to court for prosecution on violation of Section 26 in relation to the Standard of the SON amended Act of 2015.

While fielding questions from the Journalists on when he started the illegal business and also chose Golden Fertilizer, the suspect, Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmed Chanade said, “I was ignorant of the existing laws on standardisation, and secondly is for the high demands in the market by our farmers of the Golden Fertilizer product.”

He added that, “I’m not aware of the existing law, what make me to venture into this business was the high demand of the product by the customers. I’m appealing to the SON to temper justice with mercy on allegations charged on me because this is the first time I have done this mistake.”

Meanwhile, the member of the Bauchi State House of Assembly representing Chinade/Madara Constituency escorted the fertilizer marketers association to standard organization office in Bauchi.

In his remarks, he showed his appreciation to SON for sensitization of the agricultural sector in the country for clearing substandard products from markets.

He appealed to standard organization to pardon the suspected person and continue giving proper enlightenment to the rural people’s on the importance of standard organization activities in the country.