The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, at the weekend, at the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Abuja, prevented policemen on duty from taking factional leader of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Mr. Farouk Rabiu, for questioning on fraud related matters.
Reliable sources and eyewitnesses at the scene, which was the venue of the 2021 Council on Agriculture, said the police were there to invite Farouk to Force Headquarters following a petition against him for acts bordering on criminality.
Recently, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had cautioned the renegade group led by Farouk through their lawyer, on Wednesday, February 15, 2021 against parading themselves as leaders of AFAN until the matter is determined in court.
Farouk had been accused of defrauding investors using the name of AFAN Kano branch, which he illegally registered, a matter which had been brought before the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), which revoked the registration.
However, Farouk is being recognised as the leader of AFAN by the minister who hails from the same state with him despite several petitions from the Kabir Ibrahim-led executive. But the minister’s alleged siding with Farouk despite a case in court to resolve the leadership tussle of AFAN has been linked to the minister’s removal as Chairman of AFAN Kano long before he was appointed minister. Witnesses at the scene said the minister, after frantic efforts to get the Inspector General of Police on phone to call off his men failed, resorted to giving an unhindered exit to Farouk in his official car tantamount to obstruction of justice much to the chagrin of the police officers.