In Yenagoa’s Kpansia area, a private warehouse employed by the Bayelsa State government to stockpile food and materials was invaded on Sunday by certain residents from the state capital. They made off with food supplies and other items.
The loot consisted of bags of rice, garri, cartons of noodles, and bottled water. These items were part of relief contributions from concerned Nigerians following the 2022 flood disaster in the state.
The incident took place around 7:30 pm, with residents arriving at the warehouse situated along Isaac Boro Expressway in pickup trucks and private vehicles to transport the foodstuffs, many of which had already spoiled.
Amid the looting, the state government dispatched personnel from their security force, Doo Akpo, to disperse the residents and safeguard the premises.
The state government conveyed its astonishment and apprehension regarding the intrusion into the privately owned warehouse premises. It termed the occurrence as unjustified, highlighting that the food items were leftovers gathered for proper disposal due to their unsuitability for human consumption.
A statement released by the State Emergency Management Agency on Monday revealed that the event unfolded at 7:45 p.m. on Sunday, taking place after the departure of the Director-General of BYSEMA, Walamam Igrubia, and several agency personnel from the warehouse site.
The statement read in part, “During the 2022 flood in the state, the Agency used the warehouse to store food items.
“As part of preparations for an impending flood this year, the DG visited the premises, and in his presence, remnants of food items, notably rice, and garri that were no longer fit for consumption, were cleared from the warehouse and placed outside for disposal the next day.
“The remnants, which were swept from the floor and packed in disused bags, were less than 10 bags of rice and garri and with some broken cans of oil. For emphasis, BYSEMA states that these items were not fresh food palliatives and were not hoarded by the Agency or the state government.
“Importantly, these items are unfit for human consumption and a responsible, caring government like ours will not give Bayelsans such items as palliatives. In essence, there were no food items to loot. So, those who carted away the unfit items are please advised in their interest not to consume them.”
The BYSEMA equally condemned the action of the yet-to-be-identified persons who invaded the warehouse premises, and “the attempt to politicize the incident by opposition elements in the state, who seek to score cheap political points from the ugly occurrence.”
The state provided reassurance to its residents about its readiness to manage the distribution of palliatives supplied by the Federal Government. These measures are aimed at mitigating the impact of the fuel subsidy removal policy and addressing the potential consequences of upcoming floods this year.
