Conflicting claims by federal and Taraba state authorities have raised questions over the whereabouts of 8,000 bags of fertiliser allocated to the state under the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Fertiliser Input Support Programme.

The fertiliser is part of the 20,000 bags delivered to Taraba state in early July 2026 under the federal government’s intervention aimed at boosting food production and enhancing food security across the country.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had announced the procurement of 449,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser inputs for distribution nationwide, with Taraba receiving 20,000 bags comprising organic NPK and Urea fertilisers.

Investigations by The Guardian revealed that 12,000 bags were allocated to the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Taraba state chapter, while the remaining 8,000 bags were designated for the Taraba State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for distribution to cooperatives and organised farmers.

However, weeks after the allocation, the whereabouts of the 8,000 bags remain uncertain.

The Director of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in Taraba State, Luka Dabut, said the Federal Ministry received the fertiliser from the federal government and subsequently handed it over to the Taraba State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

According to Dabut, the fertiliser was delivered during the tenure of his predecessor and was kept in the Federal Ministry’s warehouse pending the commencement of distribution.

“On my arrival, I met the fertiliser in our store. It was under our custody only for safekeeping. Shortly afterwards, the Federal Government engaged a consultant to coordinate the distribution exercise,” he said.

He added that officials of the Taraba State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, including the Permanent Secretary and directors, participated in meetings alongside representatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies before the handover.

“We successfully handed over the entire 8,000 bags to the Taraba State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in the presence of all the security agencies. No single bag was left in our store,” Dabut stated.

Meanwhile, findings by our correspondent showed that the 12,000 bags allocated to AFAN were distributed to members at the Veterinary Warehouse opposite the state secretariat of the Christian Association of Nigeria,(CAN), along Federal Government Girls College, (FGGC), road in Jalingo metropolis.

However, the Taraba state commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Professor Nicholas Namissan, denied that the state ministry handled the fertiliser.

Responding to enquiries via a text message, the commissioner said, “There’s a Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Taraba state. They handled the distribution by themselves.”

The commissioner’s statement contradicts the position of the Federal Ministry, which maintains that the fertiliser was formally handed over to the state government.

The conflicting accounts have generated concern among farmers who were expected to benefit from the intervention programme.

Some farmers who spoke with our correspondent said they had yet to receive any fertiliser despite the ongoing farming season. They called on security agencies, the Presidency and the Taraba State Government to investigate the matter and establish the whereabouts of the 8,000 bags.

The farmers also appealed to Governor Agbu Kefas to intervene and ensure accountability if any wrongdoing is uncovered.

As of the time of filing this report, the fate of the 8,000 bags of fertiliser allocated to Taraba State under the President Tinubu Fertiliser Input Support Programme remained unresolved.