Troops from the Nigerian Army have stopped trucks that were allegedly carrying prohibited goods to the Republic of Cameroon.
The trucks, which were loaded with 600 bags of cement weighing 50kg each, were shown to journalists at the Nigeria Police headquarters in Yola, the capital of Adamawa State.
The Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintiri, had issued an Executive Order prohibiting the transportation of construction materials across the border through Adamawa routes.
The governor’s spokesperson, Humwashi Wonosikou, and the spokesperson for the Adamawa State Police Command, SP Suleiman Nguroje, displayed the intercepted trucks to the media. They explained that the trucks were stopped a few kilometers before reaching Jamtari, a village on the border between Nigeria and Cameroon.
Wonosikou said, “We’re here to address a disturbing trend in the state. As if the hardship on the people is not enough there are some people who would want to test the will of the government and the government is saying such actions are unacceptable.
“You can see behind me are trucks that were apprehended and brought here. They were intercepted by the military.
“And it is believed that these products are being transported out of the country, because if you look at it, where is the community at the border area in Adamawa State that requires this amount of cement to be used?”
On his part, Nguroje said, “Personnel have been deployed throughout the state to enforce the government order, banning transportation of building materials across the border.”
A dramatic situation occurred when Abiola Oyetunji, who was listed as the contact person on the waybill, was surprised to learn that the truck had already left the company’s depot in Yola.
According to her, the trucks were only allowed to leave after the goods had been sold.
“I’ve not sold the cement yet. How could the truck have moved out of the depot in Yola? The driver told me he was at the depot up to this time,” she added.
