The state government had procured and distributed 600 metric tons of assorted fertilizers and other farm inputs to dry season farmers at subsidised rates for the 2021 dry season farming.

Speaking in Lafia on Tuesday at the inauguration ceremony, Sule said that the state purchased each bag at N17,000 but explained that each bag would be sold at a subsidised rate of N10,000 to farmers.

He said, “All these are to ensure effective distribution process in the delivery of farm inputs to our teeming farmers, as well as to ensure all year round farming, with a view to attaining sustainable food production in the State.

We recently entered into an agreement with the Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority to access 500 hectares of land in Doma Local Government Area for the production of rice in the State

“Nasarawa state is endowed with fertile lands and good climatic condition which is suitable for the production of several kinds of crops for both domestic and export consumption.”

He vowed to arrest and prosecute anyone who diverts or inflates the price of the products and called on members of the public especially farmers to report any abnormalities to the authorities.

Responding on behalf of farmers, the State Chairman of All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Samuel Meshi expressed gratitude to the governor for his developmental strides and appealed to the governor to further reduce the price of the fertiliser to enable all farmers to afford the product.

Earlier, the State Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, Nuhu Oshafu, said the state government had implemented farmer-friendly policies and provided critical farm inputs such as fertiliser, Agro-Chemicals among others to farmers in the state.

Oshafu further said that the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources in collaboration with the State Agricultural Development Programme had intensified Extension Services by which farmers were acquiring new and modern farming techniques and improved technologies in order to increase productivity.

While thanking the Governor for promptly approving funds for the procurement of fertiliser for the 2022 Cropping Season, the Commissioner called on all farmers in the state to take advantage of the gesture and maintain closer contact with extension workers so as to keep abreast of new technologies in the field of agriculture.

A source who pleaded anonymity told our correspondent that the chairman, on Friday night, was travelling with his driver and police orderly but the gunmen mounted roadblocks along the Keffi-Akwanga road and shot sporadically in the air which forced them to stop their vehicle before they were kidnapped.

The source further said that in a bid to put the situation under control, the police orderly, made efforts to repel the attack but unfortunately lost his life in the process.

“We received information that the Executive Chairman was coming from a programme organised by the Keffi Old Boys Association at the Government College, Keffi when his vehicle was attacked. His police orderly made efforts to handle the situation but he was shot dead by the gunmen before they were able to take the chairman and his driver away,” the source said.

Confirming the attack, the Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Adesina Soyemi, said police operatives had taken over the location of the attack in order to rescue the victims and arrest the kidnappers.

“Police operatives are now in the area where they were kidnapped. We have taken over the environment and I can assure you that they would soon be rescued and the perpetrators of the act would not escape the wrath of the law,” CP Soyemi said.

The students were abducted by the heavily armed men at the university community in the Mararaba campus on Thursday, January 13.

The Head of Information and Public Relations Unit of the institution, Mr Abubakar Ibrahim, confirmed the incident in a press statement said the gunmen stormed the community, located close to the University at about 11:30 pm and whisked the students to an undisclosed location.

The statement reads “The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Shehu Abdul Rahman, on behalf of the management of the institution, expressed his profound outrage at the unfortunate development and condemned it in strong terms and demand for the immediate release of those kidnapped”

The statement said that the vice-chancellor, who has since inspected the area where the students were kidnapped, paid an unscheduled visit to the Nasarawa Police Command where he formally notified the Commissioner of Police about the abduction of the students.

It also said that Abdul Rahman had contacted other security agencies in Lafia and appealed to them to work tirelessly for the quick and safe return of the students.

While expressing his sympathy to the families of the abducted students, Abdul Rahman assured them that serious efforts are being taken to ensure the quick rescue of the kidnapped students.

The VC urged students “to pay more attention to security-related matters, remain calm and go about their normal activities in the campuses of the University.”

He noted that additional measures have been put in place to guarantee adequate safety of lives and property within and outside the campuses of the University.

In a statement released by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, President Buhari said the sympathies of the entire nation were with the affected families.

“I assure the people with all seriousness and sensitivity that this administration is doing its best to safeguard the security of people and will leave no stone unturned in fishing out the perpetrators of this senseless and barbaric incident, and bring them to justice” he said.

He also expressed condolences to the government and people of the State, and expressed satisfaction with the immediate response of the State government to the incident.

Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state, Yusuf Iya said the indefinite strike took off on Tuesday, June 14.

Speaking at the Labour House in Lafia, the state capital, Iya disclosed that the decision was reached after the state executive council held a meeting on Tuesday. He said they are demanding the implementation of promotions that have lingered for over a decade, implementing annual increments and training among others.

The State NLC Chairman said “You would recall that after the 21-day and seven-day ultimatums we issued elapsed on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, and we are supposed to commence three days warning strike, but stayed action due to the intervention of the traditional rulers. Given that, the Organised Labour held an emergency meeting today Monday, 14th June 2021 and resolved that, since all the necessary protocols were followed to pursue our legitimate demands from the government to see the need to pay the last tranche of August 2016, implement our promotions of over a decade and conclude the national minimum wage negotiation, but which turns futile. The Organize Labour, therefore, enjoined all workers to proceed on indefinite strike action as from Tuesday 15th June 2021 immediately until an amicable resolution is reached with the Government on our demands”

The operatives also successfully arrested the arms manufacturer alongside nine others, including a wanted alleged kidnap kingpin and cattle rustlers operating between Benue and Nasarawa states axis.

The Force Commander, Major General Adeyemi Yekini, said six of the suspects were arrested in Nasarawa State, while four others were apprehended in Benue State.

General Yekini said “our operation is currently centered on breaking the supply chain of weapon proliferation in the country, because the increasing spate of arms manufacturing is alarming and it is fuelling criminal activities in the country. We are targeting weapon manufacturers as a way of breaking the supply chain with a view to reducing the amount of weapons in circulation and curtailing the spate of armed banditry and other criminal activities in the country.”