Victor EzejaFormer lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has reacted to the reported cases of Nigerians in some parts of the country breaking into warehouses and looting foodstuffs amid growing hunger as a result of high cost of things.
Suspected hoodlums on Sunday morning broke into a warehouse in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and looted food items. The warehouse reportedly belongs to the Agricultural and Rural Development Secretariat of the FCT Administration located in the Dei-Dei area of the capital city.
Spokesperson for the ARD Secretariat, Zakari Aliyu, who confirmed the incident said the hoodlums even stole roofs, windows anything deemed useful.
A video that went viral also showed soldiers foil an attempt to raid a factory warehouse at the Idu Industrial District, Jabi, Abuja, on Sunday morning, arresting five of the attackers.
The facility produced, processed, and packaged a range of agricultural products, such as rice, cereals, legumes, and edible oil.
Amidst the hardship and rising costs of living, there are other reported cases of attacks and theft of warehouses and food trucks in other parts of the country.
For instance, some youths stole food items from trucks stuck in traffic along Kaduna Road in the Suleja area of Niger State. Video of the incident that circulated on social media showed that attackers overwhelmed the truck drivers and looted many of bags of rice before they were dispersed by soldiers.
Commenting on the incident, Sani, a social activist said the action of looting food items and other valuables from a government warehouse is a dangerous sign of an impending revolution if not checked.
“Masses looting foodstuffs from a Government Warehouse in our oil-rich Nigeria is a dangerous symptom of an impending revolution that must be averted or contained,” Sani stated on Sunday via X, formerly Twitter.
Prices of food items have skyrocketed in recent times making many unable to afford it, therefore pushing them into desperation, while the criminally-minded ones also seize the opportunity to plunder. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s food inflation hit 35.41 per cent.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
