Hoodlums broke into a government warehouse where fuel subsidy palliatives are kept in the Bayan Kara area of Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State capital on Saturday night and made away with food items.
This was confirmed by the chairman of the Bayan Kara Market Food Vendors Association, Muhammadu Gwadangwaji.
Gwadangwaji said the hoodlums, mostly youth, even after they had successfully made away with government palliatives broke into many stores belonging to his members and looted sacks of food items which for now cannot be quantified.
According to him, the presence of armed police officers and soldiers did not stop the hoodlums from carrying out their operation, as they returned tear gas to the police who fired at them.
“The youth also broke into chemical stores where pesticides were being sold,” stated Gwadangwaji.
Spokesman to the Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris, Ahmed Idris, said the event was “unfortunate”.
“The hoodlums had earlier attacked the consignment of food items that was brought to the state for distribution to the people by Dangote before going to the government warehouse to loot it,” Idris lamented.
“Such incident has never happened in Kebbi before. The food items they looted are part of the foodstuffs purchased by the state government for distribution to people of the state.
“Government has procured and distributed assorted grains worth over N5 billion in over 200 trucks. It is unfortunate those who broke into the warehouse had gone there to steal what belongs to people of the state.”
Idris said measures have been taken by security agencies to secure the warehouses against future incidents.
There have been similar incidents in recent times, two of which took place in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja and Suleja, Niger State.
Last month, hoodlums broke into a government warehouse in Gwagwa town, Abuja and made away with stored food items.
It was gathered that the culprits broke into the warehouse located around the Tasha area of the community around 7am and continued till 9am with bags of maize and grain looted.
The affected warehouse was also looted during the COVID-19 lockdown. Grain bags as well as pumping machines meant for intervention were stolen by the looters.
The looters headed towards Idu Industrial Estate, an area that hosts warehouses owned by individuals and the government.
