POLICE in the Upper East Region in collaboration with the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly have impounded a Burkina-Faso bound articulated truck loaded with 2,000 bags of Urea fertilisers meant for the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJs) project in the region.
The vehicle, with registration number JP 0752 10, was arrested in a house located at BolgaSoe on Monday, following a tip-off. The Municipal Chief Executive for Bolgatanga, Mr Joseph Ami- yuure, confirmed the incident after
he went to the scene accompanied by the police and journalists. According to the MCE, he was informed by some members of the community that there were two articulated trucks loaded with fertilisers and stationed in two different houses.
He said unfortunately when the entourage reached the area, one of the trucks had escaped, leaving behind the second truck.
The driver of the vehicle and his mate who allegedly ran away upon hearing of the police presence later reported themselves at the police station, where they were subsequently arrested and placed in custody.
As at the time of filing this report, the truck and fertiliser had been moved to the Regional Police Headquarters for further investigations. In a related development, the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) has also impounded another articulated truck loaded with 2,000 bags of fertilisers at the Kulungugu boarder in the Pusiga District in the Upper East region.
The original destination of the fertiliser meant for the PFJs project, was the Binduri District. It is believed that the fertilisers, branded with government flagship PFJs logo, were being smuggled to Burkina Faso.
It would be recalled that in June this year, the security ser- vices impounded two articulated trucks at the Paga border in the Kassena-Nankana West District of the same region, each loaded with 2,000 bags of fertiliser meant for PFJs project.
A few days ago, another articulated truck, loaded with 1,000 bags of 50 kilograms of PFJs fertilisers allegedly been smuggled to Burkina Faso was again intercepted at Navrongo in the Kassena-Nankana Municipal of the region. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) in July this year temporally banned the supply of fertilisers to some parts of the Up- per East Region including Garu, Bawku, Tempane and Pusiga.
The move was part of measures to strategies and implement modalities to help curb fertiliser smuggling in the region to neighbouring countries like Burkina Faso and Togo. However, the ban seems not to have scared people as the incidence of smuggling continue in the region.
The Regional Director of the Department of Agriculture, Mr Francis Ennor, commended the security agencies for their vigilance and warned members of the public to desist from such unscrupulous acts.
FROM SAMUEL AKAPULE, BOLGA-SOE PO
