Hawkers at the gate of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Port Harcourt, who engage in the sale of pilfered commodities from bulk cargo such as rice and frozen fish at the Port Harcourt wharf, have now shifted their trading activities to the entrance of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) beside Port Harcourt flour mills along Industry Road.

This development, The Tide gathered, followed the eviction of these hawkers otherwise known as “wharf rats” from the premises of NPA by the management of the organisation.

It was gathered that the NPA management became dis-satisfied with the activities of these wharf rats whose stock-in-trade are goods pilfered from cargoes at the wharf, which had been a source of losses to importers; and for which  reason such decision had to be taken.

The Tide also gathered that these hawkers were displaced for some time, having no place to carry out their trade, but later regrouped to form a cartel, before finally settling at the Railway axis.

On how they get these commodities from the wharf, The Tide was reliably informed that dockworkers and other job men who off-load cargo from vessels usually in the process hide or steal some bags of rice and cartons of frozen fish, which they later sell to the hawkers who are already waiting at the gate.

Apart from the stolen commodities, it was also gathered that cargo owners also give some as gifts to dockworkers, who later sell them by themselves directly or resell to hawkers at the gate, who are mostly women.

On further investigation, a reliable source from the Public Relations Department of NPA told The Tide that the management was no longer happy with the situation, due to the security concern, and the increasing reports of pilfering of cargo, adding that any where there is fish and rice, rats will always be found, hence, the concept of “wharf rats”.

Corlins Walter