Two Burkinabes have been remanded in police custody in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region, for their alleged attempt to smuggle over 1000 bags of subsidized Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) fertilizers out of the country.
The two were arrested in Bolga-Soe, a suburb of the Bolgatanga Municipality on Sunday July 28, 2019 at about 10:30pm following a tip off by some community members who suspected a resident of colluding with them to smuggle the fertilizers.
Their Ghanaian counterpart could not be arrested because he was not present at the scene when the Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive, Joseph Amiyuure led a team of police officers to the Bolga-Soe hideout and arrested them .
According to community members, a truck loaded with over 500 bags of the Planting for Food and Jobs fertilizers had left the hideout before the arrival of the police.
The fertilizers were very likely going to be smuggled to Burkina-Faso on that Sunday night.
Aside this latest case, there had been two other cases recorded from the beginning of June to the middle of July, 2019, where fertilizers were impounded in Navrongo and Paga in the Kassena-Nankana area, following community tip-offs.
A woman arrested in connection with over 1000 bags of fertilizers that had the Planting for Food and Jobs stickers deliberately peeled off, has been granted bail.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Tangoba Abayage in an interview with the DGN Online in Bolgatanga said, from now on, anyone caught attempting to smuggle subsidized fertilizers will be prosecuted.
FROM: Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Bolgatanga