Residents of the capital of Kebbi State, Birnin Kebbi, have engaged in extensive looting of both privately and publicly owned warehouses yesterday night.
The mobs successfully overcame the security personnel on duty to steal vital food supplies from a government storage facility in the Bayan Kara district.
The spree of theft extended beyond government stockpiles, as private warehouses and retail stores in the vicinity also fell victim to the raid. A truck filled with a variety of grains, which had broken down and was intended for distribution within Birnin Kebbi, was likewise plundered.
The act was the same as the other instances in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and Suleja in Niger State, this wave of looting in Kebbi State underscores a growing trend of desperation amid challenging economic times ascribed to the elimination of gasoline subsidies and the floatation of the naira.
Muhammadu Gwadangwaji, the chairman of the Bayan Kara Market Food Vendors Association, described the seriousness of the situation and stated that the youngsters’ hostility was unabated by the use of tear gas and gunfire from security personnel.
“They forced their way in and looted the government warehouse and some of our shops,” Gwadangwaji recounted. He further mentioned that several shops and warehouses were set ablaze by the marauders.
Ahmed Idris, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Nasir Idris, condemned the attacks as “unfortunate” and unprecedented in Kebbi State.
He said, “Before going to the government warehouse, the thugs had attacked the consignment of food items brought to the state for distribution to the people by Dangote.”
Idris bemoaned the loss of food items worth over N5 billion that the state government had bought for its residents and loaded onto more than 200 trucks.
He went on, “Unfortunately, the people who broke into the warehouse had gone there to steal what belongs to the people of the state,” reiterating the security precautions that had been put in place to prevent similar instances in the future. Though police in the state have yet to make an official statement on the matter.
