Bayelsa State witnessed an incident of warehouse looting as residents stormed a facility in Yenagoa, the state capital, to pilfer food items.
The warehouse, which was previously used to store relief materials for victims of the 2022 floods, was invaded and its contents looted by residents on Sunday night.
The Bayelsa State Emergency Management Agency (BYSEMA) swiftly responded to the situation by cautioning the public about the looted food items.
The agency’s Director General, Walamam Igrubia, issued a warning that the items taken from the warehouse were unfit for human consumption.
He emphasized that the food items were not intended for use as palliatives and were not in a suitable condition for consumption.
Igrubia elaborated that the remnants of the food items, specifically rice and garri, were no longer suitable for consumption and were cleared from the warehouse premises before the looting took place.
He clarified that these remnants, amounting to less than 10 bags of rice and garri, as well as some broken cans of oil, were placed outside for disposal.
Importantly, he stressed that these items were not fresh food palliatives and had not been hoarded by BYSEMA or the state government.
He asserted, “In essence, there were really no food items to loot. So, those who carted away the unfit items are please advised in their own interest not to consume them.”
Despite the agency’s swift response to the incident, concerns were raised by a resident named Alagoa Morris.
Morris criticized BYSEMA for allegedly allowing the stored items in the warehouse to deteriorate without distributing them to victims of the 2022 flood, which had devastated the state.
He pointed out that if the items were indeed intended for flood victims and were not distributed, it raised questions about the agency’s handling of the situation and its responsiveness to those in need.
While acknowledging the presence of hunger in Nigeria, Morris highlighted the importance of abiding by legal and ethical actions even in times of desperation.
He saw the incident as a lesson for all stakeholders involved in disaster response and relief efforts.