Skip to main content

FG Blames Police, Army, Customs For High Cost Of Food

Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, yesterday blamed officers and men of the Nigeria Police, Army and the Nigeria Customs Service at road blocks in the country for the skyrocketing prices of food items.


The Minister, who stated this while appearing before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, said unbearable extortion from truck drivers conveying farm produce to various urban centres in the country was responsible for the unending hike in food prices.


He, however, noted that farmers, who were beneficiaries of the scandalous price increases across the country, kicked against moves by the Federal Government to effect reduction in the prices of food items.


Ogbeh while lamenting the development in the food sector, said the unbearable daily extortions by men of the police, army and customs service, visited on truck drivers conveying farm produce from the hinterlands to urban centres under the guise of carrying out security checks, was one of the main factors fueling the high cost menace.

“These truck drivers, based on lamentations made to the Ministry in recent time, alleged that at every check points, they are always forced to part with reasonable amount of money by any group of the security agencies, which they said, made farmers to have no option than to factor cost of the extortion into prices of the food items,” he added.


The minister explained further that based on the complaints by the truck drivers, his ministry wrote the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris and heads of the other security agencies to discourage their operatives from such act. He said this intervention by his ministry notwithstanding, daily reports available to him still showed that the unlawful practice had continued unhindered.

https://newtelegraphonline.com/news/fg-blames-police-army-customs-high-cost-food/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nigeria Army To Recruit 12,000 Soldiers - Buratai

Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai has disclosed that the Nigeria Army would recruit 12,000 men in 2017 to help fight insurgents and other uprisings across the country. Buratai was speaking during a budget defence session with the House of Representatives Committee on Army. According to him, the recruitment exercise would take place after the Army’s 2017 budget proposal of N152.8 billion is approved. He further revealed that the exercise would be in two batches with 6,000 men first and another 6,000 later. The army chief further explained that the Army was currently engaged in different operations in almost all the states of the federation, combating criminalities such as kidnapping, terrorism, pipeline vandalism, cattle rustling, among others. He complained that delay in release of funds was frustrating military operations nationwide, adding that the morale of troops must be boosted regularly. http://www.newshelm.com/2017/02/nigeria-army-to-recrui...
Post a Comment
Read more

Buhari’s Signature Forged To Sell $19m Crude Oil To China

President Muhammadu Buhari’s signature has been allegedly forged in order to sell $19 million worth of crude oil in China according to a House of Representatives member, Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma Agbonayinma also accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) of gross corruption while appearing on Channels TV. “In this letter here, this is not President Buhari’s signature but it was forged by our people – by Nigerians who wanted to sell the crude in China worth about $19 million,” he said. “I tell you the truth, the .Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) is also aware. We are working day and night to also do what is needed to get it right because he (the AGF) is the custodian of the laws in the nation “So, I’m saying I must tell you that the corruption in this country didn’t just start yesterday. It is a cancer, and to cure cancer, you need a radical approach getting the radical approach in this case means you have to step on peoples’ toes, which might affect those ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Soldiers arrest suspected robbery kingpins in Abia

Soldiers of the 14 Brigade, Ohafia, Abia State has arrested two suspected robbery kingpins who have allegedly been terrorizing motorists along Opobo – Azumini highway, in Ukwa East council area. It was gathered that the suspected robbery kingpin, Victor John and Nsikak Johnson, were nabbed by soldiers at a checkpoint along Azumini highway and handed over to Abia State Police Command. The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Leye Oyebade, who confirmed the handover of the suspects to the police, said, “The synergy of the Abia State Police Command with sister agencies paid off, when officers of the Nigerian Army, 14 Brigade, Ohafia, on checkpoint at Azumini Road in Ukwa East, arrested the suspects and handed over to the operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Section of the State Criminal and Intelligence Department. They confessed to the crime and effort is being intensified to arrest other members of their gang.”
Post a Comment
Read more