Nigerians break into government warehouse, loot foods, other items as hardship bites harder

Amid economic hardship in the country, hungry citizens raided a National Emergency Management Agency’s warehouse in Abuja, looting food and other items on Sunday.

Videos of the incident went viral on Sunday morning on social media.

Josephine Adeh, the spokesperson for the FCT police, confirmed the incident to Peoples Gazette but said she was unaware whether or not any arrest was made.

“I don’t have details,” Mrs Adeh said. “But there was a looting. Our men were there, and the situation was put under control. If there was an arrest or anything, I don’t know.”

Asked if the police will go after the looters, Mrs Adeh said, “Is it not too early to be talking about what the police will do about it?

When there is looting, it is similar to thereby rioting also. The first thing is to put the situation under control. That’s what we do.”

Before now, trucks carrying food items were stopped and looted by citizens in Suleja, Niger State and Zaria in Kaduna State.

This comes as food prices are spiking astronomically, forcing citizens to hit the streets in protest in Niger, Kano, Osun, and Lagos.

The Nigerian Labour Congress also had a nationwide protest last week over spiking food prices and hunger in the country.

Spiking prices of food predated Mr Tinubu’s government. However, Mr Tinubu’s sudden fuel subsidy removal and floating of the naira, which experts adjudged as good policies, have seen petrol prices jump from N145 to N630, shooting food prices up astronomically as the naira continues its freefall against the dollar, trading for above N1,600 against a dollar.