All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, has disclaimed the misconception of the public about demanding from farmers N2,000 payment for farm inputs.
The apex body of farmers in the country said some fraudsters are using AFAN empowerment opportunities to claim money from farmers to get farm inputs for farming.
This was made known in a statement signed by the Assistant Public Relations Officer, AFAN, Alhaji Salisu Mukhtar, and made available to Vanguard.
AFAN said the fraudsters hid under its name to ask farmers to register in order to obtain input supply under the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro Pocket, NAGS-AP, or Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. It, therefore, disassociated itself from them, and said farmers and Nigerians should discard the information.
The statement reads in full: “CAVEAT EMPTOR: The Nigerian Farmers and the general public are hereby warned that there are some unscrupulous people seeking to defraud farmers by asking them to pay the sum of N2,000 ( Two Thousand Naira only) purportedly belonging to AFAN.
“They falsely claimed that they are working in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, which confirms that they are fraudulent because the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has been renamed as Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
“All farmers and general public are unequivocally warned not to enter into any dealings with anyone claiming to take any money from them for registration to obtain any input supply or activity under the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro Pocket, NAGS-AP, or Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, FMAFS.”
Meanwhile, the President of AFAN, Arc Ibrahim Kabir, said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, will be alerted on the move to track the fraudulent persons behind the call on farmers to pay the money to the purported bank account.
Kabir vowed that his Association will ensure the fraudsters are fished out and arrested.
