The Chairman of the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Chike Okafor, yesterday threatened to issue bench warrants for the arrest of the Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture (BOA), Ayo Sontinrin, and the Director-General of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), Dr. Abubakar Adamu Dabban.
Okafor spoke during the resumed investigative hearing on the alleged misuse of N1.2 trillion allocated for agricultural interventions.The chairman warned that the failure of the duo to appear at the hearings would compel the committee to invoke its parliamentary powers.
“The committee held its maiden investigative hearing on April 8, 2025, with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in attendance, followed by a second session on June 16, 2025, with both the CBN and participating financial institutions (PFIs) present,” he said.
“While some organisations have honoured our invitations and provided verifiable records to show non-involvement, others have either ignored us or offered flimsy excuses. This is unacceptable.”
The BOA had cited the appointment of a new MD as its reason for non-attendance, but Okafor rejected this excuse.
Okafor described the bank as an ongoing institution, saying the change in leadership does not absolve it of the responsibility to appear before the committee.
The chairman demanded the presentation of documents and correspondences between prospect micro-finance bank and the CBN concerning a discrepancy in disbursed agricultural funds.
The bank’s MD, Mr. Isaac Inwang, had claimed that N14.6 million was disbursed to 30 poultry farmers, with N6 million recovered and held pending further CBN instructions.
The CBN contended that N15.5 million was disbursed and accused the bank of breaching guidelines by retaining recovered funds for over three years.
Okafor directed the micro-finance bank to submit the requested documents today and provide clarifications on observed breaches.
Also, the committee has absolved the National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC) of any wrongdoing. Its DG, Alhaji Fatuhu Muhammed, confirmed that the agency did not participate in the implementation of the Anchor Borrowers Programme, a position corroborated by the CBN.
Okafor hailed the DG for cooperating with the Committee.
On July 1, the House mandated its committees on Nutrition and Food Security, Agricultural Production and Services, Agricultural Colleges and Institutions, and Finance to investigate alleged mismanagement of federal agricultural interventions outside the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
