COVID-19: Extortion by Police, Other Security Agencies Impede supply of Essential Commodities- Sani Gwarzo

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Nasir Sani-Gwarzo has expressed dismay over the alleged extortion and delay of legitimately certified transporters by men of the Nigeria Police, military and other security operatives nationwide which serves as a huge obstacle to the directives by President Muhammadu Buhari for the free-flow of the delivery of foods and essential commodities across the country to alleviate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said this in Abuja while receiving briefs from the Emergency Operation Centre of the Committee on Sustainable Production and Delivery of Essential
Commodities During COVID-19 domiciled in the Ministry.

The Permanent Secretary who also doubles as the Supervisor of the EOC explained that despite reporting the development to the higher authority of the Nigeria Police and the Security Task Force of COVID-19, the  complaint still persist.

Track Up

The Emergency Operation Centre has so far received a total of fifty-five cases across the country, fifty-four of which have been resolved at the level of the Committee.

Sixty-eight percent of these interventions are logistics related, and about twenty percent are market Intelligence issues where  supply and demand  were pair to keep production afloat while other requests had to do with direct manufacturing operations and some requests were retail related.