NSCDC, SON Raid Illegal Agrochemical Factories in Gombe

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), in collaboration with the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), conducted a raid on two illegal agrochemical factories in Gombe State on Thursday.

The factories, located in the Kagarawal community, were involved in the adulteration and sale of fake agrochemicals both within and outside the state.

During the operation, three suspects connected to the illicit trade were detained. The Gombe State Commandant of the NSCDC, Muhammad Mu’azu, described the perpetrators as unpatriotic, citing the damage their activities cause to the government’s food security efforts.

Mu’azu further revealed that the main suspects were out delivering their products but would be arrested soon.

The Director of SON’s Gombe State office, Mohammed Alhaji-Bukar, explained that the raid followed intelligence gathered from rural market surveillance.

He noted that the illegal factory specialized in adulterating pesticides and herbicides, which were then sold to unsuspecting farmers, particularly in rural areas.

Alhaji-Bukar highlighted that the suspects repackaged genuine agrochemicals with fake contents and distributed them across the country, including to Taraba State.

He added that the products, although falsely labeled with original containers and branding, were dangerous knockoffs. The SON director assured that the joint efforts with the NSCDC would continue to eliminate substandard agrochemicals from the market.