Some residents of Kebbi State attacked a government warehouse at Bayan Kara area of Birnin Kebbi, the state capital, on Saturday night and carted away food items.
The hoodlums, who defied security operatives stationed at the warehouse, also broke into some private warehouses and shops in the area and stole food items.
They also looted a broken-down truck loaded with assorted grains meant for distribution in Birnin Kebbi.
Attacks on warehouses had occurred at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and Suleja in Niger State.
This is amidst the cost of living crisis largely believed to have been caused by the petrol subsidy removal and the floating of the naira.
Speaking to our correspondent yesterday, the Chairman of the food vendors association at Bayan Kara Market in Birnin Kebbi, Muhammadu Gwadangwaji, said some shops and warehouses of traders were also set on fire by some youths.
“They (security agents) fired gunshots and teargas into the air, but they (the youths) were not deterred. They forced their way in and looted the government warehouse and some of our shops,” he said.
Reacting, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Nasir Idris,, Ahmed Idris, described the incident as “unfortunate”.
He stated: “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.
“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”, he further decried.
He said the government had secured its warehouses to prevent reoccurrence.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Nafiu Abubakar, did not answer several phone calls by Daily Trust seeking the command’s reaction to the incidents.
Palliatives not solution to hardship – Bayelsa gov
Bayelsa State governor, Douye Diri yesterday said offering palliatives is not the solution to the hardship in the country.
Diri stated this during the Easter Sunday service at the St Peter’s Anglican Church in his community, Sampou, Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA.
He said while he was not against palliatives, he was more concerned with putting in place the right structures and systems to address the economic challenges.
Diri’s spokesman, Daniel Alabrah, in a statement, quoted the governor as saying that his administration was initiating policies and programmes that would bring about long-term empowerment of the people of the state, rather than short-term palliatives.
Kukah charges Tinubu on food, physical security
The Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Mathew Kukah, yesterday asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take further steps to cut down the “overbearing” cost of governance and put in place comprehensive plans towards achieving food and physical security across Nigeria.
In his Easter message, Kukah said: “Merely distributing money through already corruption-riddled structures is not enough and diminishes the dignity of our citizens.
“No one needs to line up to receive aid when we are not in a war. Give our people back their farms and develop a comprehensive agricultural plan to put our country back on the path of honour and human dignity”, he further advised.
He also urged the federal government to come up with a robust template that would put the country on a path of national healing.
Kukah asked the president to give a timeline within which to eliminate bandits and other security challenges in the country.
He said fighting insecurity had become an enterprise in the country.
“It is cheering to hear that the president has announced that kidnapping and banditry are now to be treated as acts of terrorism.
“If so, we need to see a relentless and implacable plan to end this menace with a definite dateline for bringing these terrorists to their knees, no matter what it will take.
From Ismail Adebayo (Birnin Kebbi), Bassey Willie (Yenagoa) & Abubakar Auwal (Sokoto)
