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Looking Beyond Gov. Zulum’s Fertilizers Distribution.

Published

2 weeks ago

July 8, 2026

By: Inuwa Bwala

I missed being a witness to Borno state Governor Babagana Zulum’s flag off, of the distribution of subsidized fertilizers and free farm implements to farmers in kwaya/Kusar: no thanks to ill health.
But it’s significance has not been lost on me, being a passionate farmer.
To many it might have looked like yet another seasonal ritual, but a closer look shows why this exercise in Borno is unique, and why it matters far beyond the farm.
One of what sets this distribution apart is to me, how, the Governor weaved the quest for peace, in a state bedeveiled by insecurity, into solving one of Borno’s biggest challenge: farming.
As obtained in the past Borno is deploying two fertilizer types based on location and attendant risks.
On one hand,the wet Blend, Liquid-based fertilizers will be sent to areas with greater tendencies for misuse, while on the other, the dry blend granular fertilizers to more secure and stable areas.
This distinction, the government, explains, is designed not only for agronomic purposes but also for security management.
In a state where fertilizer components have been diverted for criminal purposes in the past, every batch will now be tracked by source and destination.

It’s a rare example of an agricultural policy that treats fertilizer as both a farm input and a security item.
This, perhaps explains why the practice has been decentralized, depending upon vulnerability, instead of concentrating in a particular central flag-off point.
For Southern Borno, Kwaya-Kusar, was selected as the flagship point to, essentially cut out middlemen, who hitherto hijack the products for resale in the open market.
With farmers getting the inputs directly, the possibility of diverssions to other uses is also minimized.
And given the general economic conditions of farmers, the prices of the fertilizers have been slashed by 50%, which will tend to make them affordable to smallholder farmers.
This measure may have taken into cognisance, the socio-economic conditions of people who may have been affected by the years of insecurity.
To the youths and women, who form the bulk of the farming population in Borno, this gesture, goes in a long way reducing their vulnerablility.

One must not fail to note, that. Borno’s recovery hinges more on people going back to the land. Information available to me suggests that, in Baga and Monguno alone, in the Northern part of the state, kast year over 12,000 smallholder farmers, including women and youth, generated over N3.1 billion from cowpea harvests with state/FAO support.
The new distribution pattern of farm inputs, has the tendency to scale, earlier models.

Against the bakground of Governor Zulum’s 25-Year Plan, in which Agriculture is the pillar, this intervention goes far beyond just a palliative, rather the cornerstone of planned secure and well developed Borno state.
A more critical look into the Governor’s logic isthat, it is in tandem with his often repeated phrase, that, “Agriculture is key to peace and progress and Food security is the key to national security”.
In making making fertilizer affordable and accessible, the state wants to restore livelihoods, improve soil fertility, increase yields, reduce food prices, and cut dependence on food imports.
It is not surprising, that the governor also flagged off the distribution of sprayers and agrochemicals, as a move to maximize yeilds from the use of fertilizers.
I will not fail to state, that, Borno: having spent years in an emergency mode, Governor Zulum’s interventio program signals a shift toward structured recovery.

Taking into account the fact that Agriculture still remains the main stay of Borno’s economy, the inputs, which has been described as timely, promises higher yields, rural jobs and less idleness.
The strategy shows government learning from past diversion problems and adapting new strategies.

With stern warning against diversion and resale, I also understand that tracking methods have been deviced, and there is greater assurance that the inputs will be used and not resold in the black market.
The uniqueness of the Borno model is three pronged: yield, survival, and security.
Governor Zulum, in combining subsidy, surveillance, I feel is treating the farm as the frontline of peacebuilding. This is one of Zulum’s height in governance. It could as well become the template for agricultural intervention in conflict-affected regions.
As Zulum puts it: “the decision to subsidize is a strategic decision to make them affordable, accessible, and impactful”, meaning, food on the table, with fewer reasons for the youths, to pick up a gun, as a guise of idleness.

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Kwara: Security Team Kills Two Bandits, Rescues Two Kidnap Victims

Published

5 days ago

July 16, 2026

Our Reporter

Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

A security team, comprising operatives of DSS and forest guards, has rescued two victims of abduction in a forest between Oba Isin/Owa Onire area of isin and Ifelodun Local Government Areas of Kwara State.

The rescued victims are 16-year-old Fatima Azeez and Ibrahim Azeez who is five-year old.

The team also eliminated two armed bandits, while others escaped with severe injuries as the security forces stormed their hideouts, according to a report by DSS and local authorities.

The security team also recovered several items from the kidnappers, including one Ak-47 rifle; one single barrel; one fully loaded magazine with nine empty; mini-solar panel; and food items.

The rescue operation is connected to the multi-agency counterterrorism and anti-kidnapping efforts of the government.

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Kwara: Police Launch Investigations Into Killing Of Farmer On Farmland

Published

5 days ago

July 16, 2026

Our Reporter

Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

The Kwara State Police Command has commenced full-scale investigations into the killing of a farmer, Mr Azeez Garba, whose body was discovered on his farmland along the Owa-Onire axis, the boundary between Isanlu-Isin and Owu-Isin in Isin Local Government Area of the State.

The Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, described the murder as “cruel, senseless and unacceptable,” and directed the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to intensify efforts to identify and arrest those behind the attack.

According to the police, preliminary investigations showed that the deceased left home for his farm in the morning but did not return, prompting his family members and local vigilantes to organise a search.

The search party reportedly found his motorcycle parked on the farmland before discovering his lifeless body a short distance away. Police said the victim had sustained deep machete cuts.

Reacting to the incident, CP Adekimi ordered investigators to deploy all available intelligence and investigative resources to unravel the circumstances surrounding the killing.

“The killing is cruel, senseless and unacceptable,” the commissioner of Police said, assuring residents that the command would leave no stone unturned in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

Although no suspect had been arrested as of Monday, the command said all available leads were being diligently pursued.

The police also assured the bereaved family, the people of Isin Local Government Area and the general public that investigators were working tirelessly to track down everyone connected with the crime.

“The Kwara State Police Command remains unwavering in its commitment to safeguarding lives and property across the state and will not relent until every person responsible for this reprehensible act is brought before the law,” the statement added.

The statement was signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police.

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Kwara: Joint Security Team Arrests Alleged Cultist, Recovers Firearm

Published

5 days ago

July 16, 2026

Our Reporter

Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

A coordinated security operation involving the Kwara State Police Command, other security agencies and the Kwara State Polytechnic Security Unit has led to the arrest of a suspected cultist, Agboola Olamilekan, with a locally fabricated pistol recovered from him in Ilorin.

The operation, carried out as part of ongoing efforts to combat cultism and violent crimes across the state, was described by the police as another breakthrough in intelligence-driven policing aimed at dismantling criminal networks and reducing the circulation of illegal firearms.

Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, in a statement issued on Wednesday on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, said the suspect was apprehended during the joint operation while in possession of the firearm.

According to the statement, the operation is part of the Command’s sustained strategy to disrupt cult-related activities and deny criminal elements the opportunity to operate within the state.

Commenting on the development, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ojo Adekimi, reaffirmed the Command’s determination to intensify the fight against cultism and other violent crimes.

“Every successful operation represents another step towards dismantling criminal networks and enhancing public safety across the state through proactive and intelligence-led policing,” the commissioner said.

The police disclosed that investigations are ongoing to identify and arrest other suspected members of the criminal network linked to the suspect.

The Command added that it remains committed to advancing the policing vision of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, through intelligence-led policing, strategic collaboration with relevant stakeholders and sustained operations aimed at ensuring that those responsible for threatening the peace and security of Kwara State are brought to justice.