Liberia: Nimba - WFP Food Truck Under Probe

Nimba County — Police in Ganta, Nimba County have arrested a truck transporting over 600 bags (24 tones) of rice said to belong to the World Food Programme.

The truck with license plate number 751 was transporting the rice from Grand Gedeh to Monrovia for alleged re-bagging and subsequent sale.

The New Dawn gathered that the WFP is currently carrying on school feeding program in public schools and a few private schools in several parts of the country.

A Police source told The New Dawn that they had been informed by the Ministry of Commerce about a truck transporting over one thousand bags of rice from Grand Gedeh to Monrovia without a wage bill and other documents.

This is the second time Police in Ganta have arrested huge quantity of rice for the WFP being transported to Monrovia.

Last year, two truckloads of WFP food were arrested in Ganta but subsequently released after call from the Ministry of Commerce requesting the trucks to leave for Monrovia, but since then the outcome of said rice is yet to be made public.

This paper also gathered that public schools are benefiting WFP school feeding program but said supply is now being sold on the local market with some crossing the Ganta-Guinea border for marketing.

Liberian Joint Security assigned at the border were seen receiving money from Guinean truck drivers to allow those trucks leave Liberia for Guinea.

Over five truckloads of rice, including cement and gas leave Ganta for Guinea on a daily basis.

When contacted, WFP communication officer Venlineshare Tolbert declined to speak despite sending a text message to her. Editing by Jonathan Browne

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