About 1,000 bags of fertiliser meant for Funakaye and Nafada local government areas in Gombe State have been reported missing.

Daily Independent gathered that 600 bags of the commodity meant for Nafada Local Government Area were diverted to unknown destination by Musa Ibrahim, the driver of a trailer with registration No. EZ 977 GM, an escort official of the state Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Yakubu Danjuma, a spare driver, Sani Kuri, and conductor of the vehicle, Adamu Mohammed.

Similarly, a councillor representing Ashaka/Magaba in Funakaye Local Government Area, Malam Adamu Umar, was also reported to have attempted diverting 400 bags of fertiliser meant for his ward to neighbouring Yobe State, but was intercepted by the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

Investigation revealed that in the case of 600 bags meant for Nafada, the suspects were said to have claimed that on their way to the area, their vehicle broke down, which made the escort to go home as they could not finish putting the vehicle in order till night, leaving the others behind.

It was gathered that on the next day when the escort came back he could not see the vehicle and the fertilizer, which made him to raise alarm.

It was learnt that during a search, the vehicle was seen parked at a distance of about 10 kilometers away from where it was previously parked but without the fertiliser.

Commissioner for Police in the state, Joseph Ahmed Ibi, confirmed the development in Gombe. He said the driver, the escort and the conductor had been arrested while the spare driver was at large.

Ibi, who is also a member of Special Committee on Allocation and Distribution of Fertiliser in the state, said that investigation was still going on.

On the diverted 400 bags by the councilor, Governor Mohammed Goje has ordered that the councilor be interrogated and if found culpable should be prosecuted in the court of law.