Hardship bites harder as Nigerians loot Govt food storage in Abuja

…Police arrest 15 suspects, recover 26 bags of maize

By Our Correspondents

Nigerians continue to groan as the hardship occasioned by the current economic realities continue to bite harder.

Recently, food crises in the country have continued to worsen with soaring hikes in the prices of food items. According to a recent report by the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) food inflation rate in January 2024 rose to 35.41 percent while Nigeria’s annual inflation rate rose to 29.90 percent in January from 28.92 percent in December 2023.

Protests also hit some parts of the country recently over the rising prices of food and services making life unbearable for many Nigerians.

Although the government has promised more palliatives, labour protests last week saw more insistence on honouring agreements over consequential adjustments on new realities, following the removal of subsidy.

This was further evidenced on Sunday as individuals looted a government owned warehouse in Gwagwa town, Tasha area of the Karmo district of Abuja.

Findings by the Nigerian Newsdirect indicate some youths in their number broke into the warehouse located around Tasha area of the community around 7am, looting bags of maize and grain.

A resident, Jaafar Aminu, said the looting continued unhindered till 9 am when he spoke to our reporter.

He said some residents as well as persons from neighbouring Jiwa and Karmo town trooped towards the site with the intention of partaking in the loot.

He said the situation has caused a gridlock on Gwagwa-Karmo road, that leads to Dei-Dei and Jabi axis, respectively.

Commenting, the Executive Director of Nigerian workers Group, Dr. David Kayode Ehindero who spoke to Nigerian NewsDirect attributed the development to the untold hardship on the people by government policies.

He stressed that the removal of the fuel Subsidy by Tinubu’s Administration was a good policy but not providing palliative to cushion the effect of skyrocketed inflation spoiled the intention.

According to him, the looting of the foodstore should give the government a signal that the masses are damnly hungry and can do anything to have their way .

Recall that the warehouse was also looted during the COVID-19 lockdown. Grain bags as well as pumping machines meant for intervention were stolen from the site by the looters at the time.

After raiding the store, the rampaging youths headed towards Idu Industrial Estate, an area that hosts warehouses owned by individuals and also the government.

However, the FCT police command has arrested 15 suspects, including two security guards who actively participated in the looting.

A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh revealed that: “Exhibits such as twenty-six (26) bags of maize, five (5) motorcycles, and some vandalized aluminum roofings were recovered from the suspects.”

She said, “The FCT police command is fully informed about the impulsive attack on the Agric Department Strategic food store located at Tasha, Abuja, on 2/03/2024 by some irate mobs, which resulted in the vandalism and looting of the warehouse.

“The Command wishes to state that normalcy has since been restored to the environs and the situation is very much under control.

“Fifteen (15) suspects were arrested, including two local security guards employed by the warehouse management.

“Exhibits such as twenty-six (26) bags of Maize, five Motorcycles and some vandalized aluminum roofings were recovered from the suspects.”

In a related development, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has denied speculations that the warehouse looted belonged to it.

It said, “This is to clarify that the looted warehouse does not belong to NEMA. However, the Agency sympathises with owners of the looted facility.

“To forestall any security breach at NEMA facilities, the Director General Mustapha Habib Ahmed has directed Zonal Directors and Heads of Operations to strengthen security in and around the Agency’s offices and warehouses nationwide,” he said.