On Saturday night, certain residents of Kebbi State launched an attack on a government warehouse located in the Bayan Kara area of Birnin Kebbi, the state capital.
Despite the presence of security operatives at the warehouse, the perpetrators managed to gain access and made off with food items.
Additionally, these individuals raided private warehouses and shops in the vicinity, seizing more food supplies.
Among their loot was a broken-down truck loaded with assorted grains intended for distribution in Birnin Kebbi.
Similar incidents of warehouse raids have been reported in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and Suleja in Niger State.
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These events unfold against the backdrop of a significant cost-of-living crisis, widely attributed to the removal of petrol subsidies and the devaluation of the naira.
Muhammadu Gwadangwaji, Chairman of the food vendors association at Bayan Kara Market in Birnin Kebbi, revealed to our correspondent on Sunday that some shops and warehouses belonging to traders were also targeted by youths, with some even being set ablaze.
“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 were brought to the state for distribution to the people by Dangote before going to the government warehouse to loot it.
“Such an 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 the 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.