We’ll frustrate illegal sales, thefts at Ports – Police

In a bid to curb illegal activities at various ports and around the economic hubs in Nigeria, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has expressed its commitment to enforcing all laws and implementing anti-crime strategies.

According to the NPF, the commitment is geared towards stimulating the government’s agenda of quick economic recovery and development.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), DCP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, on Sunday and made available to PersecondNews.

Adejobi confirmed the arrest of five suspects by the Eastern Port Police Command in connection with the diversion of bags of wheat belonging to the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) and the recovery of about 1,238 bags of wheat in Port-Hacourt on February 6, 2024.

The statement read: “The 1,840 bags of wheat that 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 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.

“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.”

On his part, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, emphasized the goal of the Nigeria Police to ensure that individuals who engage 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.

He ordered that the suspects be charged in court upon the conclusion of the investigations.