Dramatic scenes unfolded in the Kpansia area of Yenagoa, as hungry residents swarmed a private warehouse utilized by the Bayelsa State government for storing food and supplies. On Sunday, the facility was infiltrated by locals who made off with food items and other goods.
Among the looted items were bags of rice and garri, along with cartons of noodles and bottled water. These supplies were reported to be part of the relief contributions made by concerned Nigerians during the 2022 flood disaster in the state.
The incident unfolded around 7:30 pm, with residents arriving at the warehouse located along the Isaac Boro Expressway with pick-up vans and private vehicles to transport the goods. It’s worth noting that a significant portion of the looted items had deteriorated and were no longer suitable for consumption.
In response to the looting, the state government dispatched personnel from its security unit, Doo Akpo, to quell the situation and safeguard the premises.
Bayelsa’s state government expressed astonishment and concern at the intrusion into the privately owned warehouse. It deemed the event as unwarranted and clarified that the food items had already been earmarked for disposal due to their unsuitability for human consumption.
According to a statement from the State Emergency Management Agency, the incident took place at 7:45 pm on Sunday, after the Director-General of BYSEMA, Walamam Igrubia, and agency personnel had vacated the warehouse area.
The statement detailed, “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.”
BYSEMA emphasized that the food remnants were unsuitable for human consumption and that they were not recent palliatives, nor were they hoarded by the Agency or the state government.
In response to allegations of political motives behind the looting, BYSEMA condemned the attempt to politicize the incident by certain unidentified parties and assured the public of the state’s readiness to manage the distribution of palliatives provided by the Federal Government, aimed at mitigating the impacts of the fuel subsidy removal policy and the anticipated flooding this year.
