The Nasarawa State Police command has apprehended three individuals suspected of stealing 96 bags of 50-kilogram rice from a businessman in the Nassarawa Eggon Local Government Area.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the incident occurred during the transportation of the goods from Nasarawa State to Abia State.
The Commissioner of Police, Umar Nadada, disclosed the arrest during a briefing at the command’s headquarters, where he paraded a total of 31 suspects arrested for various crimes.
Nadada narrated that the suspects were part of a larger group of approximately 15 armed men who intercepted the rice-laden truck after it developed a mechanical fault, forcing the driver to halt overnight.
“On July 26, 2024, at around 3:30 a.m., a truck driver reported to the Akwanga Area Command that his vehicle, loaded with 700 bags of rice, had been attacked at Nassarawa Eggon.
“The attackers, armed and determined, tore the truck’s tarpaulin and made away with some of the bags of rice,” Nadada recounted.
He explained that police operatives, acted swiftly on the report, launched a pursuit and intercepted a vehicle believed to be used by the suspects.
This operation led to the arrest of three men: Auwal Abubakar, Danrimi Mohammed, and Habibu Adamu, all residents of Masaka in Karu Local Government Area.
Along with the arrests, law enforcement recovered 96 bags of Mama Gold Rice and a Citroen bus with the registration number OGUN 419 XZX, which were presented as exhibits.
Police also recovered an array of items, including 1,080 pieces of ammunition, 13 laptops, televisions, phones, five magazines, four motorcycles, and five firearms.
During an interview, one of the suspects, Habibu Adamu, denied any involvement in the crime, claiming that he and the others were merely transporters hired to move the rice.
“We are transporters (Driver and Loaders). We did not know if the bags of rice were stolen or not. We are appealing to the police to release us because we know nothing about the matter,” Adamu stated.
The Commissioner of Police emphasised that the suspects would be charged to court upon completing the investigation at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Lafia.
He also issued a stern warning to all criminal elements to desist from illegal activities or leave the state immediately.
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