The Government of Niger State has cautioned against nefarious acts of middlemen who specialise in buying and hoarding food items to cause artificial scarcity.

The Commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism Mr Jonathan Vatsa, said the government was worried that such act may cause untold hardship for Niger State residents and prevent them from enjoying the bumper harvest recorded in the state in 2016.

Mr Vatsa appealed to farmers and other Nigerlites to be wary of such middlemen and put the interest of the state above any over profiteering ventures like hoarding food items.

The commissioner stated that the call had become imperative because “it is not humanly right that we allow people to suffer while the middlemen rip the farmers of their hard work and hoard foods from the public.”

He, however, thanked the people of the state for their understanding amidst the recession and high cost of food items, assuring them that the government was considering various economic recovery strategies. (Channels TV)