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The Sissala East Constituency Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Mr. Baku Rafik, is in the full grips of the police after allegedly being involved in the issuerance and sale of fake fertilizer coupons under the Government's flagship Planting for Food and Jobs programme.

Mr. Baku Rafik was arrested following a tip-off by a staff working with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in the Upper East Region.

The NDC Chairman, who is said to be a fertiliser distributor was said to have issued over 5,000 fake coupons and presented them as genuine to suppliers for claims.

According to information, the evil operations of some distributors issuing fake fertilizer coupons came to the attention of the acting National Director of Crop Services, Mr. Seth Akoto, who caused investigations to be conducted.

In the course of the investigations, the name of Mr. Baku Rafik, who is a local distributor for one of the companies contracted by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to supply organic fertilizers to farmers, came up as the suspect behind the deal.

A security expert, name withheld, feigned interest and therefore sought assistance of Mr. Baku for fertiliser business.

The NDC Constituency Chairman then obliged and promised to supply him these fake coupons.
The two then agreed to meet at Bolga where the business would be transacted.

On Thursday morning, Mr. Baku Rafik gladly drove to Bolga hoping to transact business with his partner but luck however ran out on him after realizing the person he was dealing with was a Staff of the Ministry working together with the security agencies in the Upper East Region.

He was subsequently arrested and incarcerated by the police.

Meanwhile, reports say the Police in Bolga are arranging to transfer him to the National CID Headqurters for further investigations.

According to reports, Mr. Baku is part of a bigger cartel of groups and individuals engaged in smuggling and sale of fake fertilizer coupons under the Government's flagship Planting for Food and Jobs programme.

His arrest comes few weeks after the President, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo and the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Hon. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto visited the three northern regions and pledged a crackdown on unscrupulous elements sabotaging the Government's flagship programme.