A group of National Democratic Congress (NDC) members, accompanied by police, have intercepted 128 bags of 50-kilogramme NPK 20-10-10 fertiliser and 18 bags of maize seedlings at a farmhouse in Gbi Akplamafu, located along the Hohoe to Alavanyo road in the Volta Region.
Mr. Newton Darkey, the Hohoe Constituency Chairman of the NDC, revealed that the party had been monitoring the activities of the outgoing Hohoe Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr. Francis Fiakpui, following allegations of hoarding government-supplied fertiliser.
A tip-off led to the discovery at the farmhouse, which reportedly belongs to a family member of the outgoing MCE.
Mr. Darkey has called for a full-scale investigation by the police and the National Investigation Bureau to determine the circumstances surrounding the stockpiling of these goods.
“This fertiliser belongs to the citizens and taxpayers, and those responsible must be held accountable,” Mr. Darkey said. He also urged constituents with knowledge of similar incidents to come forward to recover other hoarded government resources.
Meanwhile, a local farmer, Mr. Frank Smart Hodogbey, expressed disappointment over the interception, noting that while fertiliser prices remained high, farmers were deprived of essential resources that could boost agricultural productivity.
He urged the government to investigate similar cases nationwide.
Master Boni Abu, a caretaker at the farmhouse, said that he was unaware of the specifics of the stored goods, though he admitted to seeing vehicles delivering fertiliser to the site.
Abu has been taken into custody to assist with police investigations.
The seized fertiliser has been transferred to the assembly warehouse at Gbi Avega using a KIA truck and three Nissan pickup vehicles.
Investigations are ongoing.