Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) has urged the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, to stop some government officials from extorting money from transporters of agricultural produce on federal highways.
According to a statement by Dr. C. P. Nwodo, Head of Media and Public Affairs, NAQS, in Abuja on Monday, a delegation of NAQS officials made the call at a meeting with the I-G in Abuja.
The officials met with the I-G to solicit the support of the police in efforts to check the incidence of extortion of transporters conveying agricultural commodities.
The Coordinating Director of NAQS, Dr Vincent Isegbe, who led the delegation, said that quarantine control posts were created for disease/pest surveillance, with a view to safeguarding the nation’s agricultural production.
He, however, noted that some state governments had turned those disease/pest surveillance points into revenue generating outlets, negating the original intention of the Federal Government for establishing the posts.
Isegbe said that the development had led to an upsurge in the market prices of agricultural commodities, while causing post-harvest losses of produce, especially the perishable goods, due to the delays at the illegal checkpoints.
Responding, Idris commended NAQS for being alive to its responsibilities as the frontline protector of the nation’s agricultural economy.
He assured NAQS of his support and pledged the full cooperation of the police to guarantee operational synergy at the various quarantine control posts across the country. (NAN)
News Credit: agronigeria