The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested five suspects for allegedly producing and distributing adulterated fertilizers and herbicides in the state, according to a statement released on Wednesday by the command's spokesperson, CSP Ahmed Wakil.

The police operation, conducted by the Command Monitoring Unit acting on credible intelligence, led to the sealing of three illegal production facilities where the counterfeit agricultural inputs were being manufactured.

The first arrest occurred on May 10 at the Bauchi Central Market, where one suspect was apprehended with six bags of suspected adulterated fertilizers and 46 bottles of fake herbicide. A subsequent search of the suspect's residence in Magaji Quarters uncovered incriminating evidence, including raw materials, charcoal, stoves, nylon bundles, and empty herbicide cartons.

"Further investigations led to the arrest of three more suspects who exposed two additional illegal factories," Wakil stated. The police spokesperson added that operatives also detained another suspect during a raid at a shop along Gombe Road, recovering 44 bags of fake fertilizers.

The detained suspect reportedly claimed to have sourced the raw materials from an accomplice in the Bakaro area of Bauchi metropolis.

In total, the police recovered 150 bags of adulterated fertilizers, various raw materials, tools, and machinery used in the illicit operations across the three illegal production facilities.

This police crackdown comes at a critical time as the farming season approaches in Nigeria, where adulterated agricultural inputs could potentially harm crop yields and threaten food security in the region.

The Bauchi Police Command has not yet disclosed the identities of the suspects or provided details about potential charges, but investigations are ongoing.