The Nigeria Police Force has said it is committed to enforcing all laws and implementing anti-crime strategies to curb illegal activities at various ports and around the economic hubs in Nigeria.
This commitment was re-echoed in a signed statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi on Sunday when the Eastern Port Police Command confirmed the arrest of 5 suspects in connection with the diversion of bags of wheat belonging to the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) and recovery of about 1,238 bags of wheat in Port-Hacourt on the 6th of February 2024.
The statement added, ”The 1,840 bags of wheat which were to be transported from Ibeto Port Terminal, Port-Harcourt, to an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp located in Kano State were fraudulently diverted by the drivers tasked with this assignment, alongside their accomplices, who were intercepted and apprehended by the operatives of the Nigeria Police attached to the Eastern Port.”
The arrested suspects include one Umar Hashim, Edidiong Umoh, Udah Stanley, Abubakar Jariri and Yunusa Babangida, and 1,238 stolen bags of wheat were along with the truck and a bus used in carrying out the crime.
The recovered bags of wheat were returned to the World Food Programme, and efforts are in top gear to recover the missing 602 bags of wheat and arrest the other suspects associated with the crime.