Businessman denies N270m fertilizer scam story

A business man, Alhaji Musa Aliyu denied a Daily Trust report claiming that he was dragged before a court by one Alhaji Tijjani Umar over breach of trust on the purchase of 60,000 bags of fertilizers worth N270 million was misleading.

Alhaji Aliyu said “sometimes in September 2011, Umar gave me a Purchase Order number 0059 dated 7/9/2011 for the supply of N60, 000 bags (100 trucks) of NPK brand of fertilizers valued at N270 million for the use of Zamfara State government thereafter a memorandum of understanding was executed between me and him.”

Aliyu said he supplied 60, 000 bags of fertilizers to a designated warehouse in Gusau as well as paid N29 million as VAT to Umar to facilitate the release of the money.

He said “when Zamfara State government finally paid the sum of N270 million to Umar, he refused to send the money to me, instead, he remitted N90 million to my bank account, the balance is yet to be paid.”

He said a complain of breach of trust and cheating against Umar involving the sum of N270 million filed before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2012 was still at a preliminary state.

Meanwhile, a Federal High Court sitting in Kano and a State High Court in Gusau have asked Umar to pay the said money. He was also to pay one Safiyanu Marafa millions of Naira for the supply of 36 trucks of fertilizer, he said.