Dozens of neighbors have invaded a private warehouse in Yenagoa, Bayelsa Stateand looted palliatives stored at the facility since 2022.
The incident occurred around 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The facility was used by the Bayelsa State Government to store palliatives made up of food and other materials, according to a Punch report.
Items taken by residents included bags of rice, garri, boxes of noodles and bottled water.
The food was said to be part of relief materials donated by some concerned Nigerians during the 2022 flood catastrophe in the state.
Some of the residents reportedly stormed into the warehouse with Toyota Hilux vans and private vehicles to take away the food, some of which had already expired.
As the residents carried out the looting, the state government deployed men from its security team, ‘Doo Akpo’, to disperse them and secure the building.
‘Not suitable for human consumption’
Meanwhile, the Bayelsa Emergency Management Agency (BYSEMA) has expressed surprise and concern over the invasion of the warehouse, calling the incident “unjustified”.
In a statement Monday, BYSEMA said the food was scrap that was being collected for disposal the next day because it was no longer fit for human consumption, the newspaper reported.
“The remains, which were swept from the ground and packed in disused bags, were less than 10 bags of rice and garri and some broken oil cans. For emphasis, BYSEMA claims that these items were not fresh food palliatives and were not hoarded by the agency or state government.
ALSO READ: Elimination of fuel subsidy: Still no palliative plan for Nigerians – FG
“It is important to highlight that these items are not suitable for human consumption and a responsible and supportive government like ours will not give the inhabitants of Bayel these items as palliatives. In essence, there really was no food to loot. Therefore, those who took the unfit items, out of their own interest, are advised not to consume them,” read part of the statement.
BYSEMA similarly condemned some of the residents who they claimed tried to “politicize the incident” to score cheap political points.
The agency assured state residents of their readiness to handle the distribution of relief supplies provided by the federal government as part of efforts to cushion the effects of the removal of the fuel subsidy, as well as the flooding forecast for this year.
Read More Related News Here
Let hear it in the comment below if you do have an opinion on this; Neighbors invade warehouse in Bayelsa and loot ‘expired’ palliatives stored since 2022