The Nigeria Police Force has arrested five 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.
Penpushing reports that the Force Public Relations Officer Muyiwa Adejobi confirmed this in a statement on Sunday disclosing that 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.
The statement explained that the drivers were arrested on February 6, 2024 alongside their accomplices, who were intercepted and apprehended by the operatives of the Nigeria Police attached to the Eastern Port.
‘The operatives made an arrest of five (5) suspects namely Umar Hashim, Edidiong Umoh, Udah Stanley, Abubakar Jariri and Yunusa Babangida, and recovered 1,238 stolen bags of wheat along with the truck and a bus used in carrying out the crime’, Adejobi said.
‘The recovered bags of wheat have been 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’, he added.
Penpushing further reports that the statement added that the police has reiterated its commitment to enforcing all laws and emplacing anti-crime strategies to curb illegal activities at various ports and around the economic hubs in Nigeria.
The Force Public Relations Officer in the statement said the commitment was re-echoed when the Eastern Port Police Command confirmed the arrest of the suspects, adding that it was geared towards stimulating the government’s agenda of quick economic recovery and development in the county.
Penpushing also reports that the statement said the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun has re-emphasized the goal of the Nigeria Police to ensure that individuals engaged in activities aimed at sabotaging the economy of the country and entrenching hardships among the vulnerable members of the public are ardently dealt with in line with extant laws.
The statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer emphasized that police boss has therefore ordered that the suspects be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations and tying of all lose ends.
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