Police and Namdia to Tighten Security after $17m Diamond Heist

(IDEX Online) - Namibia's police force and its state-run diamond marketing company say they will work together to tighten security, 10 months after the armed raid in January in which $17m of rough stones were stolen and a security supervisor was shot dead.

Namib Desert Diamonds (Namdia) and the Namibian Police (Nampol) have signed an agreement establishing a formal framework for cooperation, information and intelligence sharing.

Namdia's CEO Alisa Amupolo was sacked in October after a disciplinary hearing that found her guilty of "gross negligence" and "gross insubordination," although they were not related to the theft. The company's chief operations officer and security manager were both suspended after the heist.

The raid happened ahead of Namdia's biggest ever rough diamond sale, exposing the company and the wider Namibian diamond sector to serious reputational risk.

Namdia's interim CEO, Lelly Usiku, said the partnership with the police would focus on closing gaps in the handling, storage, and transport of diamonds.

She said protecting diamonds required "meticulous security and close coordination" at every stage.

Armed raiders forced their way into Namdia's Windhoek headquarters on 18 January. Employees were held hostage, a security supervisor (Francis Eiseb) was fatally shot, and a suspect later died of gunshot wounds, reportedly self-inflicted.

Six people have been arrested in connection with the raid, including an ex protection officer at Namdia and a guard employed by a private security firm, contracted by Namdia.

Pic shows the Namdia headquarters in Windhoek.